


It Was Me, Saving You

by SummerRaine14



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst, Author!Jughead, Clueless Archie and Veronica, F/M, Flashbacks, Heavy Angst, Sexual Content, Smut, Strangers to Lovers, Trust Issues, Waitress!Betty, protective jughead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-03-17 01:51:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13648968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerRaine14/pseuds/SummerRaine14
Summary: Jughead Jones left Riverdale and everyone in it behind at the age of 17, in search of a better life. Now, at 26, he's published three novels and is living the dream life he always wanted. However, not everything is at seems and he makes the choice to return to his home town in hopes of finding that missing piece.Betty Cooper moved to Riverdale in hopes of never being found. She lived a life that anyone would pray they could escape from, one day, she did. Now, she's constantly looking over her shoulder while working at Pop's Choclite' Shop and when she thinks all chance of love in her life is lost, a writer looking for his muse stumbles into her life.





	1. I've Never Met Anyone Quite Like You

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this last week and it came to my attention that when I transferred it from my word document, it didn't separate paragraphs. I ended up deleting this from AO3 and it gave me the opportunity to revise what I'd written and add a bit more to the story, which I really hope you all enjoy!  
> Unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own.

Dedicated to the one I left behind.  
  
_The thing about her, is that she never pretended to be someone she wasn't. Despite her secrets, and the fact that no one knew anything about her-she was real, and she was genuine. I realized that the first time ever saw her smile, she was a girl who hid a world of pain, but she was also a girl who was selfless and did her best to make everyone around her happy. She worked a job in a diner even though the money she was married into could buy her a castle, her best friend was part of one the richest families in the area, but still her heart was pure and her beauty was like grace. She was beautiful, from the inside out, and she saved me when I didn't think I could be._

Jughead Jones felt a strange sense of nostalgia as he drove down the streets of Riverdale with the Autumn leaves falling from trees around him. It had been nine years since he drove past the sign that read 'Welcome to Riverdale, the town with Pep!" At the time, he never thought a day would come when he would have to return. He was seventeen years old when enough became enough and he couldn't take his father's bullshit anymore. Jughead knew his father loved him, but his addiction won every time and he had to walk away from it all. The life in a trailer with a father who was barely home, a gang trying to pressure him into joining, girls who cared more about makeup and getting a man's attention than actually respecting themselves, it wasn't the life he wanted to live. So, he made sure, it wasn't. Despite losing contact with his mother, he had connections with other family members from her side and moved away. He moved away right before senior year, and after finishing high school, was able to get his first novel published. By the time world-known "J. Jones" was 25, he had published three novels. He was living a life so incredible that you wouldn't ever think he grew up in a trailer park in the Southside of a little town, unfortunately, nothing was as it seemed and his life came apart at the seams. Now, at 26, he's back to where it all began without any other choice.  
  
As he pulled up on his motorcycle to the infamous small diner, Jughead began regretting his decision to return on the last Friday of summer vacation. The entire parking lot was filled and when he got inside there were teenagers taking up almost every seat. "Am I seeing things or is that who I think it is?" He heard the voice and immediately knew where it was coming from, Pop Tate, the incredible man who owned the town's favourite hangout spot. Jughead smiled his first genuine smile in quite some time as Pop set down the milkshakes he had and pulled the younger man in for a hug. "What are you doing back here, son?"  
  
"It was time to come home, Pop." Jughead smiled again and looked over to the back where he saw his usual booth was vacant, thank God. "It's busy in here, I can wait for you to take my order." With a pat on the back, Pop nodded and proceeded to look after his customers that were there before Jughead's arrival. Taking a seat in that booth felt like really coming home, it was in the very back beside the large window that gave him view of the outside. It was where most of his first novel was written, although in reality, it was where most of his high school nights were spent when he was too ashamed of his father to go home. Pop was never legally his guardian, but at times it felt like he was. Never turning Jughead away despite his mistakes and choices, and never failed to make the best burgers Jughead had ever tasted. Pop's was the last place he went to before leaving Riverdale, so it only seemed fit that it be the first when he returned. Now, if he was going in order of when he left, his next step would be to contact his best friend, Archie Andrews. They had promised to never lose contact when Jughead moved, and for the most part, they didn't. But nothing was ever the same when he left and they both knew that, what was once a friendship of late night talks in Archie's bedroom and hanging out every day during and after school, became quick one word replies to each other and there wasn't much they had tried to do to save it. Jughead felt safe coming to Pop's because he knew no matter what this is where he wouldn't be turned away from, and despite his friendship with Archie, he knew them losing contact was down to him and that it may not be as easy to face. Just as Jughead was about to pull out his phone he was met by a waitress, and he damn near stopped breathing when he saw her. She was a beautiful blonde with her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and had sparkling green eyes, her legs were long and the thoughts he had about them were sinister.  
  
"What can I get you sir?" She asked and it pulled Jughead from his thoughts about her, he went to reply but was met with Pop walking over with his order.  
  
"Darling, he's a regular around these parts. Here's your usual Jughead." The way her eyes widened at the mention of his name didn't go by unnoticed by Jughead, he was used to people finding his name funny, although it was not nearly as bad as his real one. But the look on her face wasn’t like that, it was like his name was familiar and she looked at him.  
  
"Jughead? As in Jughead Jones?" He shook his head, not understanding what she was getting at. "Everyone in this town talks about you, you're like a celebrity in these parts. Well, I mean with your books I guess you are a celebrity. I love your books, they're incredible." She was rambling and he thought the way her cheeks went red with embarrassment was cute. "Sorry Pop, I'll get back to work." And with that she was helping the next set of customers.  
  
"She works almost every day except weekends, she takes the graveyard shift sometimes son, if you stick around she'll quickly become your favourite waitress. I love having her here, she's always so amazing with customers." Pop chuckled and patted Jughead on the back once again. "Enjoy that burger, I'm sure you haven't had one that good in years."  
  
"The last time I had anything that tasted this good was the night I left. I've missed your burgers and shakes like crazy." Jughead smiled as he picked up the burger and took a bite, yep, Pop's never seized to make the most amazing burgers Jughead had ever eaten. He stayed in his booth for about another hour as he ate and ended up ordering his usual three more times, Jughead made a joke about Pop's being the death of him and he didn't even care. Nine years was far too long to go without a Pop's burger and shake and he'd be making up for the lost time in the best possible way. Of course, he watched as the blonde waitress worked throughout the night, she had something about her that made everyone around her happy. He overheard as customers said she was their favourite waitress, and he understood why. She made everyone feel welcome and he could tell that she had most orders memorized from regular customers, he thought she was incredible and he didn't even know her name. The diner began to clear out so it was much quieter and easier to hear the chiming of when someone entered, before Jughead even had a chance to look up and see who had arrived he was met with a voice he knew well and his heart nearly dropped.  
  
"You're back and I have to hear it from some dumb teenagers posting about it on social media and other people messaging my fiancé." Archie was angry, and Jughead felt so much guilt for not messaging Archie like he had planned earlier. This was the first time in nine years he had seen his best friend face to face, and the only feeling between them was uncontrollable anger. "What the hell is wrong with you!" He yelled, not even the slightest bit concerned about the looks they were getting from people around them. Before Jughead had a chance to respond Veronica, Archie's fiancé, was coming in the door behind him.  
  
She grabbed a hold of his arm and said, "Arch, maybe you should give him a chance to explain." Veronica was always the voice of reason for Archie, throughout the years when things turned to shit in the town she was always there to hold her man's hand and calm him down, sometimes he could listen to her and back down, but she knew how much Jughead leaving screwed him over and she wasn't sure there was anything she could do. Archie pulled his arm from Veronica's grip and turned the other way, exiting Pop's faster than anyone could process. She looked at the door then back to Jughead, "Just give him time, he's been through a lot since you left." Veronica said so quiet, like it was meant for Jughead to hear and Jughead only. And then, just like Archie, Veronica had left Pop's diner. He sighed heavily before getting up and exiting the diner himself. It was no secret that Jughead's were quite a success, he had made literal millions off of them which helped his living situation a lot. So, when time came that Jughead had to return to his home town, he was thankful there was more than enough money for him to afford a nice place. However, he wasn't aware before showing up in the lobby that the apartment building he was buying a suite in, was owned by none other than Veronica Lodge. Her eyes went wide as she saw him come through the door and she looked almost...scared? She stepped out from behind the desk and pulled Jughead outside.  
  
"What are you doing here J?" She asked in a hushed tone hoping Archie wouldn’t overhear anything. "I told you not to buy one here because it's too close to Archie."  
  
"Ronnie, I swear I had no idea you owned the place and I don't want any trouble with Archie either." Jughead was being honest, probably more honest than he had been in a very long time. The last thing he ever wanted was to lose his friendship with Archie, and he wanted to somehow try and make things right now that he was back.  
  
"Okay." Was all she said before going back into the building, Jughead was confused and followed her steps. She stood at the desk and got him his key. "You can go to your room after you see Archie." Veronica sighed heavily, "He's just in the lounge room down the hall, he's alone, and you two need to talk before another moment goes by. I'm not having you live in the same building without fixing this." Jughead looked down the hall to where she pointed the room would be and he sighed as his heart began racing.  
  
"Archie?" Jughead said lightly, almost a little afraid as he walked into the room. Archie set down his guitar and looked at Jughead, the anger from earlier long gone and now he just looked sad.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Jughead didn't need to say anything, the look on his face was enough for Archie to put the pieces together. "Oh." Was all he managed before turning away from Jughead again.  
  
"Look man, I'm sorry for not telling you first. I went to Pop's and I was going to message you, I just-" He stopped, trying to find the right words. "I was scared you'd tell me to go fuck myself or something."  
  
"Did you think I wouldn't find out? It was a Friday night at Pop's, did you really think this wouldn't be making news within minutes in this town? Or are you too high above us to remember what it's like." Archie spat at him.  
  
"Come on, do you really believe that?" Jughead asked, his voice went softer as he realized how hurt his friend was.  
  
"I don't know what to believe anymore, man." Archie said. "I didn't believe my best friend would ever leave and not speak to me anymore, and then eventually I got used to believing you'd never come back. Look where we are now." He mumbled, playing with the strings on his guitar.  
  
"I'm sorry for leaving and not keeping contact the way I should have. It was just too much and I couldn't stay here, talking to you was reminder of me leaving my best friends behind. I missed you and Ronnie, but you kept talking about Reggie and all these other people, I figured you didn't need our friendship anymore." Jughead sighed and took a seat beside Archie. "I'm back in town for good now though, I'm staying in the apartment because I don't exactly need a house for just myself, but I really am back." Archie's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked back at his ex-best friend.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'm supposed to be working on my fourth book, my publisher wants it in by January, but I've got nothing. I figured I might come back and try to get some inspiration, I mean, it is where I wrote the book that launched my career." Jughead chuckled, "I called Ron to see if you guys would be okay with me coming home, I was too scared to call you, thought you might threaten to kill me or something. That's when she told me you guys were engaged and it kind of all hit me. How much of your life I've missed, how much we've both changed. I missed my best friend." He sighed when he was all finished, waiting impatiently for Archie to respond.  
  
"You're a real piece of shit, Jones." Was all he said before nudging him on the shoulder. "I'm still pissed, but Ronnie's best friend is coming over and we're having a few late nights drinks for our last Friday of freedom." Jughead raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I teach the music class at Riverdale High, and everybody moves back here in September for school. The apartments get full and she's busy with collecting rent or people making down payments on the houses Lodge industries and Andrews construction have connections with."  
  
"Good for you guys man, I knew you'd make one hell of a team." He smiled. Both men stood up and walked in the lobby where Veronica was and Jughead had to catch himself from falling over when he saw the blonde waitress from Pop's standing there with Veronica. They were laughing about something before Veronica noticed them and smiled.  
  
"Jughead, this is Betty. She's my best friend and a waitress at Pop's." Scarlett smiled before reaching her hand out to shake Jughead's. "Betty, this is Jughead Jones, he's Archie's best friend and well, as you know, an author." Jughead reached his hand out and shook Betty's.  
  
"Nice to officially meet you." She blushed as she pulled her hand away.  
  
"The pleasure is all mine." Jughead said before turning to Archie who was giving him a weary look.  
  
"He's joining us for drinks if that's okay with you?" Archie asked the two women standing opposite of them.  
  
"No, that's totally okay! Oh, this is going to be so amazing!" Veronica cheered before walking to the elevator. "Come on, Betty will be with us in a few minutes. I'll show you the suite Archie and I stay in." She smiled, pulling Jughead and Archie with her. Although unsure as to why Betty wasn't coming now, he didn't question it.  
  
Betty watched as the three of them got into the elevator, and once it was closed and they were gone, she headed for the staircase. Veronica knew how Betty felt about people knowing she stayed in one of the less visually appealing apartments, especially if they were people that knew Veronica and Archie personally, so she chose to take the stairs in effort to avoid him knowing which floor she lived on. Veronica of course, had the suite on the top floor. Betty automatically assumed someone with the kind of money that an author makes, Jughead would be living in the other suite that occupies the top floor. As much as Betty didn't want him knowing where she lived, that wasn't the only reason she wouldn't be up for a little while longer. She had just gotten off work and needed to change, but it was also Friday. Every Friday night after her shift at Pop's, Betty has to make a phone call and that's something even Veronica and Archie don't know. As Betty reached the third floor of apartments, she pulled a burner phone from her purse and walked into her apartment.  
  
"Betty, it was getting late, I didn't think I'd be hearing from you." The female voice on the other end of the phone was casual, almost like she wasn't concerned that she hadn't heard from Betty. But Betty knew the woman well enough to know that she was sitting around anxiously waiting for a call. This had been a tradition for every Friday night in the last eight months.  
  
"Always so concerned, Cheryl." Betty laughed lightly. "Anyway, I'm alive and well. Yes, this phone will be thrown away and damaged after we hang up. Yes, I'm paying everything with cash. Yes, I keep my doors locked at night." She said, getting all the obvious questions out of the way before they were even asked.  
  
"Always on top of things, good." Cheryl said, a little less cold than before and although Betty couldn't see, she knew a smile was forming on the other woman's face. "Nothing has changed. No one knows where you are. Not that I'm aware, and I have a lot of eyes on them. So, right now you're safe, but-"  
  
"But never get too comfortable. I know." Betty sighed. "I've just finished a long shift and I'm tired. I'll phone you next week though." She said before hanging up the phone. Betty looked at the burner phone and sighed, she hated not being able to have a real cell phone, with the chance of it being traced. Her life wasn't hers, and she was still held captive despite being millions of miles away from the man that held her prisoner in the first place. Quickly, she was placing it the ground and picking up her chair to crush it with the legs before turning to her closet and grabbing a more comfortable outfit to wear.  
  
Upstairs Jughead was told to sit with Veronica on the balcony while Archie got the drinks. "Archie doesn't know how much you and I have talked." Veronica says leaning in towards Jughead. "When he found out you were back he said he'd be damned if he let you find out everything he's been through. So, until he tells you himself, please don't bring it." Jughead went to respond but was interrupted by Betty walking through the glass slide doors and instead of saying anything, he just smiled at her as she took a seat beside Veronica. Soon enough Archie was coming out with the drinks and seating himself beside Jughead. "To our last night of freedom."


	2. A Selfless Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty works the graveyard shift at Pop's when she sees Jughead struggling to work on his newest novel and they end up having a late night conversation. While Jughead struggles to make amends with Archie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't remember if I mentioned this before or not, but in this fic Betty is only 21 while Jughead, Archie, and Veronica are 26.  
> Please, enjoy!!

_The thing about her, is that she never puts herself first. She has a selfless soul and lives to make everyone else smile and make sure they never feel alone. I never got the chance to ask her why she was always so kind, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's because she knew a little too well what it was like to have no one in her corner and never wanted anyone to feel that way._

Betty grew up with a loud life, as a kid, she heard her parents constantly arguing, and between school and all her extracurricular activities, there was never any time to relax. Then, in high school she was the captain of the cheerleading squad, dated the quarterback, wrote for the school newspaper and helped with charity activities, eventually marrying into a family where her weekends were spent at posh country clubs and large gatherings. Betty craved what she didn't have, some simple time alone in the comfort of peaceful surroundings, so, when she started working at Pop's and found out there would be some graveyard shifts, 'yes' came out of her mouth before it even registered in her mind. It gives her time to relax behind the counter leaning down and read a book, though the book she had planned for tonight now seems incredibly embarrassing. Betty loved books, but even more loved books that were part of a series, during her little free time she had read a few here and there, but when she moved to Riverdale, the books everyone were talking about were the "Hidden Truth" series by J.Jones. They were a crime novel series about a boy who lived in the wrong part of town and found himself wrapped up in the murder that, before it ever got solved, he had to leave the town. The first novel "Unpainted History" was captivating to Betty, she had always loved writing and reading, and the way that this author portrayed his main character was beyond thrilling. The novel's protagonist was intelligent and sarcastic, but past his hard exterior lay a lifetime of pain and misery. He was a loner in every sense of the word until the end of the book, which much to her dismay, ended in a cliff-hanger. She finished the book in less than two days, and before she knew it, found herself purchasing the second one. "Hollow Bullet" was no exception to his amazing writing, it started right where the first one left off and the main character was being met with people he thought he left behind, reliving his teenage years as a gun was held between his eyes, after that, he was on the run and never stayed in once place for too long. It almost scared Betty how much she and the character related by the end of the second novel, he didn't have a home, and neither did she. She's now on the third and latest book to the series, "Dead End", Betty actually found it quite funny how she started it the same day Jughead roamed back into town, and even more so, that now as she was reading the 6th chapter, he was the only customer walking through the door.  
  
"I hear the author is pretty good." He chuckled, acknowledging that she's reading one of his books. Betty smiles and sets down the novel as he takes a seat on the stool in front of the counter. He was beautiful, of course, she had thought that seeing his picture on the back of the books. It wasn't your usual picture of the author in a nice outift smiling, he stood against an old car with his loose black curls a mess and a cigarette resting between his lips, Betty had never found smoking attractive, but he made it look so damn good. The pictures on each book were all different, but still similar enough to show he had a specific style. Though the pictures were captivating, they did not do justice to how good he looked in person. She doesn't even know how she didn't recognize him immediately the other night. The first night at Pop's he was attractive, yes, but that night someone's looks were the last thing on her mind. However, now, she felt like she could get lost in those beautiful blue eyes and the thoughts alone made her feel weak for more reasons than one. "It's okay to talk y'know." He said as she stood there silently.  
  
Betty realized she had been staring and quickly cleared her throat before saying, "Right, your usual? Uh.. what is your usual?" She asked, realizing the other night that it was Pop who got it for him, so she honestly had no clue.  
  
He smiled at her lightly before saying, "Actually just want a coffee, black." Betty didn't think much of it, until she saw him pulling out his laptop and suddenly curiosity got the better of her. She poured him a cup of coffee before setting it in front of him and leaning on the counter,  
  
"You working on another book?" She asked. He didn't say anything, just glaring at her before turning back to his laptop. Just as Betty was about to say something else, he spoke,  
  
"I'm trying." The annoyance was clear in his voice, but she knew it wasn't directed at her. "I'd enjoy that one while you can." He says, pointing to "Dead End" that is currently resting on the counter beside Betty's arms. "It might be the last one I'll ever finish." Jughead, as much as he wished it wasn't true, was only half-joking. He'd been trying to write something new since about Mid-May when the tour for his latest book came to a close. It'd been three and a half months since then, and sure, that wasn't exactly a huge amount of time, but he was an author after all, and he had responsibilities. Jughead couldn't understand why he writing was going so difficult, his first book had taken the longest, written through his years in high school and continued until he graduated, but it all came naturally. Although the pressure got higher with each book, the 2nd and 3rd were not a struggle, he'd sat in front of his laptop and then 12 hours later nearly 1/4 of "Hollow Bullet" was finished, it took him a month and a half total to finish, and he would swear if it weren't for the busy schedule he had, probably wouldn't have even taken that long.  
  
"Well." Betty gulped, unsure of what to do or say, "How much have you started?" She asked, he chuckled lightly and didn't speak, instead turning his laptop to face her and she saw a blank page. "Might be the last one you ever started too." She said, uneasy about whether or not he would take it as a joke, but when Jughead laughed again, she knew she was safe. "Is that why you're back here? To find some inspiration, I mean it's where you started your first one right?" Betty asked, she had spent a good four hours just drinking and laughing on the balcony with Jughead, Veronica, and Archie that night not even a week ago, but he was quiet, and the only thing that he really spoke about was his book, and she remembered something about him starting it before ever leaving town. Over the last five days, they hadn't run into each other once. It was weird because they lived in the same building, but Betty figured with her being up early for work and him probably being the type to sleep in-they weren't going to cross paths much. Again, no words, instead he just shook his head 'yes'.  
  
"Can I take you up on that offer for food?" He asked, breaking the silence that had been laid upon them for a few minutes. She smiled and nodded, "My usual is a burger, large fry, coke and a vanilla milkshake." He smiled, she nearly fell over hearing how similar their orders were, but before anything else happened, he added, "But right now I can settle for just a burger."  
  
Betty smiled thankfully, it wasn't called the graveyard shift for nothing. No one ever came here during these hours, and so, Pop never scheduled anyone besides Betty to be here. He had picked her because she asked, she wanted as many hours as possible and said she'd work anytime, he needed at least one person here to make sure nothing happened and was more than happy to give Betty these hours as no one else ever wanted them. She was a waitress before all else, but sometimes found herself being pulled into the kitchen, and tonight was one of those rare times. Betty finished making the burger fairly quickly and headed back out with it on a small plate, setting it in front of Jughead who had pushed his laptop to the side. Betty stood, staring at his laptop with a look on her face that Jughead found unreadable.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
"I don't have three best selling novels under my belt or anything, but I've done some writing in the past. I've had to get rid of a block before and I'm just trying to think of ways to help." Somehow, Betty managed to make Jughead smile again. He was known for his brooding bad-boy quiet author reputation and it was rare that his smile appeared, and even less likely to be genuine. But here, tonight, he'd found himself chuckling and smiling at some of the simplest things because of a girl he'd met twice. Of course, she was incredibly kind and when she could be reading the book that he had interrupted her from or just relaxing, she was worrying about helping him. There weren't many people like that, that Jughead had met and he admired it, really, truly, admired it. "Archie." Betty had his name on her mind but had no intention of sharing it out loud, but when she saw the look on Jughead's face, she knew it was too late.  
  
"What?" Jughead looked at her confused.  
  
"I-I just...I've heard them talk about you before. That things ended pretty badly and then when he came in here all pissed off on Friday-" Betty stopped, she saw the expression of his face and knew it all too well, "I'm sorry, it's none of my business." She turned to start doing something, anything, to get away from the embarrassment and fear she felt about what she had just said.  
"Betty." Jughead said, but she didn't turn around. He stood up and walked behind the counter, grabbing her arm and repeating himself, louder this time, "Betty." She flinched and jumped back at his touch. He must've realized how it made her feel because he quickly dropped her wrist from his grip, "I-Sorry." He sighed, "Look, you don't need to apologize for saying that about Archie and I, it's true. I was just thrown off, I don't get what it has to do with my writing."  
  
Betty felt herself relax and said, "You've had this block for months and chose to come back here, there's got to be a reason. Maybe, you've finished telling your character's story and need a new one to tell. But you can't open a new chapter until you've finished the last one." She smiled lightly, trying her best to hide the fact that she was uncomfortable and a little nervous.  
  
"Oh." Was all Jughead said before walking back around the counter and taking his seat again, "Also, are you okay?" He asked, his eyes looking at her wrists. Betty looked down at her wrists and hid the tears that were forming in her eyes, she nodded her head 'yes' and grabbed the book she was reading before Jughead's appearance at the diner. He stayed quiet, and she was thankful for that, but a part of her felt like it wouldn't be the last time he mentioned what had happened. 

It was half past eleven when Jughead woke up the next day, he groaned as the sun was beaming in through the shades and he debated trying to go back to bed. There was no use though, he had a novel to finish within the next five months and still had nothing on the page. He thought back to what had said the night before and maybe she was right, it was a Thursday so Archie was at the school, but he'd be on his lunch in half an hour which gave him enough time to get dressed and drive over there. He didn't know Betty all that well, but that didn't stop her from knowing him. She was practically living with two people he'd known since the diaper ages and there had to have been times when he was brought up once or twice. From what he'd heard from Archie and Veronica, Betty hadn't even been in town a year, but she was still around them more than him and with his calls through the years with Veronica, Jughead knew there was a lot to be discussed between him and his oldest friend. Jughead got up and jumped in to have a quick shower before changing into clothes that were appropriate for the outside world before hoping on his motorcycle and driving over to Riverdale High.  
  
Jughead got to the high school at 12:05 and he would lying if there weren't a few stares from students as he walked down the halls, of course, these stares were different from the ones he got on the streets. The streets were because he was a best selling author who had 3 of the world's most famous crime novels ever written, but here, it was because of who he was before the books. Someone else entirely. The school had barely changed in the last nine years and he found the music room fairly quickly. Veronica was visiting Archie but when she saw Jughead enter the room, she kissed her fiancé and left them to speak, patting Jughead on the back as a sign of wishing him luck.  
  
"Hey." Jughead said uneasily, taking a hesitant seat on one of the stools. "I hated this room in high school, you always dragged me and Ronnie in here." He laughed, trying to start somewhere.  
  
"Just Veronica eventually." Archie said harshly. After their small conversation on Friday night, the two men had been walking on eggshells around each other. They'd talked on and off but it was all stupid and pointless conversation. "Sorry."  
  
Jughead smiled sadly, "No, you're not." He sighed as he fiddled around with the sheet of paper sitting on a stand in front of him, "Archie, I know we're not going to fix this in one or two, maybe not even 50 conversations man, but we need to start somewhere."  
  
"And you think my lunch break at work is the best time to start?" He snapped back, of course Archie wanted his best friend back, but he wasn't going to forgive and forget so easily. "Jughead you just left, one of our oldest friends was murdered and the killer hadn't been found, and you just left. You messaged me like you promised you would, and then one day it just stopped. The murder was still being solved, I had problems with Veronica, and I needed my best friend." This time, his voice was low and soft, he was sad. Undeniably sad by all that has happened between him and Jughead.  
  
"I didn't just leave Archie, it was coming for a long time. I couldn't live with my dad anymore, he was getting worse and I couldn't stand by and watch it happen. I know that what happened to Dilton was terrible, and maybe I should've stayed until we got justice, but I just couldn't do it anymore, man. Talking to you reminded me of everything that I left behind, I left behind the only two people I've ever been able to call my real family, but I also left my dad and it killed me to do so. Every time we spoke I was reminded of him and this town. Eventually, you found new friends that you talked about all the time, and I was happy you had a new 'bro' so I backed off." Jughead's own voice was quiet and a little shaky, he hadn't spoken about what he went through with anyone but Veronica, and reliving it all was a lot.  
  
"You didn't just back off Jones, you literally stopped talking to me." Archie was getting angry again, it was so back and forth with him and how he feels about what Jughead did. "You were my best friend. You are the one I hung out with running around the house in diapers, and you're the one I went to see in 7th grade to tell the story about my first kiss, and you're the one I called when we were in high school and Veronica finally admitted she liked me. You're the one that I spammed with calls and messages until you woke up to tell you that her and I said "I love you" for the first time. You were my best friend."  
  
"I honestly don't know what else to say besides, I'm sorry. Okay, there's a lot that's changed in the last nine years and yeah, maybe my excuses are bullshit. But you were my best friend too, none of it was easy on me either." Jughead sighed, "By the time I finished my first book, I wanted to call you and tell you to go get your copy, it was too late. It was the same with the 2nd, and the 3rd. When I did book tour stops in New York, I wanted to come back and see you and Ronnie so bad. You still had her this entire time, I didn't have anyone."  
  
"Yeah, well who's fault is that?" Archie sighed. Jughead was about to respond when the bell rang, "I need to get back to work." Was all Archie said before turning around to his computer and quickly, students were filling the classroom. Jughead groaned as he got up, unable to accomplish as much as he wanted to, but slightly satisifed with some real conversation between the two of them. When he got out of the classroom he was surprised to see Veronica still standing there.  
  
"How did it go?" She asked, but she was fairly certain what his answer was going to be just by the look on his face, "Look, I've told you a lot about what happened. But I'm not him, so I can't pretend that I know exactly what it felt like. It was a lot Jughead, but I swear, he just needs some more time." Jughead nodded, he had nothing else to say, not right now anyway. "Betty gets off work in a few minutes, so I've got to go. I'd stay and talk a bit longer but for whatever reason, that girl doesn't have a cell phone so I can't." Veronica groaned, of course someone not having a cell phone would be what irritated Ms Veronica Lodge. She padded him on the shoulder once again before heading outside to her car. Jughead walked outside slowly, taking in his surroundings when, as he walked out the front doors, remembered what Veronica said. Betty didn't have a cellphone? He didn't even notice that the other night at Pop's, or on the balcony at the hotel, sure, unlike everyone else he had seen had one, but it never really stuck out to him until now. He thought about what had happened last night and wondered why she was so cautious and jumpy, there was something about Betty Cooper, and he wanted to find out exactly what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always incredibly appreciated and if anyone has questions about this fic, or my other Bughead one "I took One look at You (and there was no going back)" you can find me on Tumblr, srainerobron!


	3. Tell Me Your Secrets (Baby)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead run into each other at the Twilight Drive-In and a series of questions are brought up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has taken me almost a month to finish, and honestly, for any of you amazing people still interested, I am SO SORRY. Writing is hard, life is hard, and I wanted to work on this so much but just had trouble finding the time and motivation. 
> 
> I'd like to do a shout out to my incredible beta @juggiehasmyheart17 for helping me out with this chapter, because there was a lot that needed fixing! 
> 
> I really hope you all enjoy!

###  _ The thing about her, is that I fell for her before I even knew who she was. We had met, and we had talked, but there still so much more to find out. Yet, I found myself wondering where she was, and how she was doing. I found myself wanting to make sure she was okay. I found myself caring about someone I didn't know, but I knew there was no changing the way I felt. She made me see the world in a different way, and all it took was one encounter late on a Friday night.  _

Jughead had never been given it easy in life, he felt like he was stuck and needed to escape, and sometimes, he could. During his first year of high school, his life had went from bad to worse. His mom had ran away, leaving Jughead alone with his alcoholic father. He wasn't surprised really, his relationship with his mom had never been ideal. She always said he was too much like his dad, destined to fail. She hated her life. So, when Jughead came home one Friday afternoon after school and all that was left of his mother was her wedding ring and a note that said, "I'm sorry", he had seen it coming. When he looked to see his father passed out drunk before it was even 5pm, well, that wasn't a surprise either. He took one last look at his father before storming out of the house, and taking the motorcycle somewhere, anywhere. He ended up stopping at the Twilight Drive-In, he thought about his childhood spent here, when his parents were actually _happy_ . When his dad was _sober_. It had shut down the previous year. So, Jughead thought it would be a safe place to get some peace and quiet.

That's what brought him here today, on yet, another Friday night. He had returned to Riverdale almost a month ago, it was crazy, how the time was going by. It was nearing the end of September and the winds were growing louder and colder. But for some reason, he preferred it this way. Everything with Archie was still on the rocks, and they had just finished fighting at the apartment building. Jughead wanted more than anything to freak out, but he knew that Archie was the one who deserved to be angry. So, instead, he pulled on his jacket and took off on his bike. The cold breeze was a relief.  As his motorcycle came to stop in front of the old Drive-In, it amazed him how little it had changed in nine years. It was a beautiful piece of land and he was sure someone would have bought it and done something, anything, to it. Then again, it was on the Southside, and no one ever really wanted to venture into these parts. He parked his motorcycle behind the building, Jughead heard a noise coming from inside and cautiously opened the door. Before he even got fully through the doors, he saw someone he knew sitting against the wall with her head in her hands. It was Betty. Jughead would be lying if he said he wasn't curious as to why she was there.

"Betty?" Jughead asked, she must not have realized he was here, because him speaking caused her to flinch and stand up. "Sorry, it's just me." He took a step back, wondering if maybe right now wasn't the time to bother her, but when he saw the phone in her hand, something came over him. "Veronica said you didn't have a cell phone." He said, pointing towards the phone in her left hand. Betty looked down, and then looked back up with wide eyes. She dropped it instantly and flinched again at the sound of it hitting the ground.

"What kind of conversation were you having for her to tell you that I didn't own a cell phone?" She asked, completely ignoring the fact that he was basically asking where it came from and why Veronica didn't know about it.

"We were talking, and she had to go get you." Jughead sighed, thinking back to that day, it was basically a practice run for what would happen constantly over the next little while. Tonight was no different. "I had took your advice and tried talking to Archie, didn't go all that well. But uh, she needed to head off and said if she had a way to contact you, she would've stayed a few minutes longer."

Betty sighed in relief, "Oh, okay." She looked around awkwardly for a moment before turning her gaze back to Jughead, "What are you doing here?"

A silence fell upon them, was he really going to tell her about his secret place that even his closest of friends don't know about? "I just like the quiet here." Jughead stated, which in his defense, wasn't a complete lie, "What about you?"

"I like the quiet too." She smiled, Jughead didn't know what it was about her, but there was something, and he wanted to know what it was. "So, how's that book coming along? I've finished the third one and I've got to say, I'm waiting on the next."

Jughead fixed his gaze onto the floor, he had gotten some writing done in the few short weeks he had been back in Riverdale. But he wasn't sure if he should tell her, afraid it may scare her away if she continued to ask more questions. "What is this, 21 questions?" He asked jokingly. She was smiling but he couldn't see her, his eyes were still staring straight down towards the old wooden floor boards. He looked up to her blushing red cheeks and sighed, "Okay, maybe I've done a little bit of writing. But, don't tell anyone." He joked, from their few encounters, Jughead had learned that Betty was a trustworthy person, maybe it was because of the very little amount of friends she had here in Riverdale, but he guessed it was because she had her own secrets that she had to keep.

"My lips are sealed. If you keep yours the same." Betty warned. He raised in eyebrow in confusion, and she chuckled, "I'm pretty sure Veronica Lodge would have a field day if she found out one of the people living in her apartment building was a visitor to the Southside of town." Jughead laughed alongside her, she was right, Veronica had never been shy about her dislike of the lower class citizens and their area in town. She prided herself on never having anything to do with it besides her life-long friend. "Do you and the protagonist in your book have a lot in common?" Betty asked, she knew he was probably sick of talking about his book, but there were some questions in articles and interviews that hadn't been asked and for some reason, she wanted to know

"Are you an undercover journalist in town to get the scoop inside my brain about my books?"

"Well, I was the head of my school newspaper back in high school." Betty blushed again.

Jughead raised an eyebrow and nodded his head, "Really? What kind of stuff did you write about?"

"Nothing nearly as interesting as what's in your book." He glared at her and she laughed, "It was the perfect, All-American town, really. The worst thing that happened was one of the football players cheating on his cheerleader girlfriend with another cheerleader."

"Was it the quarterback and cheerleading captain?" He asked, she smiled but the look of fear and pain that quickly flickered in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by him.

"No, I was captain of the squad, dating the quarterback." Her entire posture and tone of voice changed as she finished that sentence. Jughead couldn't place what, but something seemed off about her, and the way she talked about her past. He realized then that he didn't know anything about Betty besides the fact that she was a waitress at Pop's and what she had just told him. Even Veronica didn't know all that much. She loved gossip yet she had mentioned Betty only a few times in conversation, never saying a lot. "What about you? Any letterman jackets in your past with a pretty preppy girl by your side?"

A laugh escaped from him as he thought back to his high school days, how anyone could ever even think he was a jock made him chuckle. "No, no. That was all Archie and Veronica. I was your typical school weirdo and outcast."

"Oh, I would've never guessed." Betty responded with such an exaggerated facial expression.  "So, are you going to avoid my questions?" She asked, pointing back to what brought them to this conversation in the first place.

"Here I was hoping you forgot." Jughead chuckled.

"I just think that all the interviewers ask basic questions, things you can easily lie about, or ones that don't interest the writer. Your answers are short and rehearsed. I want something different." Betty blushed as she saw the change of expression on Jughead's face, his eyes were dark with interest. "You never give a lot of yourself away." She finished, looking to the floor. As her eyes moved away from Jughead, he let a small smile creep on his face. Thoughts he couldn't control entered his mind.

"Yeah, we have a lot in common. I used pieces of my life to create him." Betty looked up, a wide smile and sparkle in her eyes. Just then, an idea hit him. "How about this?" Jughead said as he took another step closer to Betty, "You've just gotten your answer, now it's my turn to ask a question." He smirked as their bodies were only inches apart.

"What could you possibly want to know about me?" She asked, breathing heavy at the close contact. This was the closest she's been to someone in over eight months. When he came up behind her in the diner, she had been scared and jumped back, for reasons she would never share. But in this moment she didn't  want this end, she didn't want him to step away.

"Everything." He said, his warm breath hit Betty’s skin sending chills down her spine.

"Okay." Betty took a deep breath, and just as she was about say something else, a sigh fell from her lips as Jughead took a step back.

"Okay." He smiled at her. "Why does Veronica think you don't have a phone, when you were on one when I came in here?" It was Betty's turn to step back and she sighed again. "It's just one question, there's no harm meant by it." He smiled, trying to make her feel a little more comfortable about the situation at hand.

"It's a burner phone." She whispered, almost too quiet for Jughead to hear, but the way his eyes went wide told her that he did. "Promise me you won't tell Archie or Veronica." Her eyes went back to the floor and she felt tears building in them, "I...I just left behind a life. Somewhere I could easily be found and even though I wanted to get away, there's still someone I miss and like to talk to. I use a burner phone so no one knows we still speak." Betty let out a sigh of relief, she loved Veronica like a sister at this point, but was nowhere near comfortable enough to share something like this with her. She'd been hiding such a dark secret for so long, and even if Jughead didn’t know everything, she was able to get something off her chest and that was better than nothing. It was like weights being lifted off her shoulder. She felt Jughead come up to her and hug her.  At first, she flinched and wanted to pull back. But as she felt his strong arms around her, that became the last thing she wanted to do. This wasn't the way she felt the last time a man hugged her, this felt safe, this felt okay. Her body eased into his and she allowed herself to fall apart in a mess of sobs. For months and months, Betty had held herself as she cried, over the months she longed for the days when her partner was kind and compassionate, for the days when she didn’t feel so alone, and even though she and Jughead didn't know each other well, she felt comfortable enough to release her emotions.

"Betty." Jughead whispered, "You don't need to tell me anything you're not comfortable sharing. But if you ever need someone, I'm here." She pulled back and smiled at him. "I know we've only just met, but I'd like to be your friend." He told her, a part of him wasn't lying, he did want to be Betty's friend. But he also couldn't ignore that small voice in the back of his head telling him he wanted to be more despite the short amount of time they'd spent together so far.

She pulled herself away completely and wiped the falling tears, "Thank you." Betty said as a small smile was able to creep back on her face, however little it was, Jughead was happy she was smiling at all.

"Your turn." He chuckled, and began to laugh with him as she realized that they were getting to know each other. "Ask me anything, it's only fair."

"Why choose now to come back to Riverdale?" Of all the questions in the world she could have asked, he never thought this would be the one she would pick. It was without a doubt the hardest to answer, and although she just shared something personal with him, he didn't know how to begin. She noticed the look on his face and offered a sympathetic smile. "Let's go outside, the fresh air could be nice." Jughead nodded and followed Betty outside as she walked through the Drive-In lot. She stared at the stars, not speaking, clearly waiting for an answer but not pushing him to give one either. That, he appreciated.

"Do you ever feel like you have no control over your life?" Jughead asked, causing Betty to pause and turn to look at him. She raised an eyebrow, hiding the memories that flooded her mind as she thought about how little control she held in her own life. "My life here was terrible, I was an outcast with a alcoholic dad and lived in a trailer park. I think if I had to choose between that and the life I have now, I don't know, I think I'd choose back then. Of course, I wouldn't know until I was in that position. But wouldn't a logical person, whose happy, pick his current life? Best selling author, more money than I know what to do with, a life where everything makes sense?" Jughead sighed and rubbed his hands to his face. He was exhausted, just like Betty, he had never opened up to someone about the things that clouded his mind every day.

It was Betty's turn to comfort Jughead, she walked over to him and grabbed his hands, "Money and fame doesn't make someone's life amazing." Little did Jughead know that Betty knew that more than anything. He knew Veronica would say the same thing, but for completely different reasons. "You feel like everyone assumes you're okay and your life is perfect. You feel like no one sees your falling apart or doubting everything you do because to them you're just okay. But you're not, because the you that is okay is this mask you put on for the world?"

"I...I, yeah." He let out a sigh and gave Betty a small smile. "How did you-?"

"How did I know?" Betty chuckled as Jughead nodded, his eyes wide as he was surprised she knew exactly what to say. "Because I've been there. It's the worst thing, to be suffering and no one noticing. Having all these people that you thought loved you, but they have absolutely no idea who you really are. You realize you're completely alone, and it's heart crushing."

"Are you sure you're not an author?" Jughead asked, trying to make light of this. He wasn't able to stop his mind as he thought about all the years he'd spent being someone else. No one seemed to notice, and now this woman who he'd known for not even a month was talking as if they'd known each other their entire lives.

"I'm sure." Betty chuckled lightly. They would both be lying if they said that the loss of contact when she moved her hands away from his didn't have them wishing they could be closer. "Your turn." She began walking again and Jughead quickly moved to be beside her as they both stared above them at the dark star-filled sky.

“Why did you choose to stay in Riverdale?” His gaze didn’t leave the sky as he and Betty walked side by side.

“Honestly? This was just a town I was planning in stopping in, but it felt safe.” Betty knows that Jughead isn’t looking at her, and that’s all she needs to know to let a small smile creep on her face. They walked in silence for a while before Betty stopped to lean against the wooden fence outlining the forest, “Do you ever wonder if the stars tell a story?”

Jughead raised his eyebrow and chuckled, “If the stars tell a story?” He repeated her to see if he heard her correctly.

“Yeah, like, do you believe in that whole when you look at a star, the person you’re meant to be with is looking at it too?” Betty wrapped her arms around herself as she began to get cold.

“What? Like fate?” Jughead asked, thrown off by the turn that this conversation took.

“Yeah, exactly like fate!” Betty cheered, her eyes lit up as she said ‘fate’ as if it was something she truly believed in. It was, Betty had her entire life set out for her by her mother. She would become a journalist for their family paper and marry a rich man that could put her name out into the world, she would never leave her home town and always stay close to her family, be married with kids by her 25th birthday and never stop pursuing her ‘dream’ career. Betty loved writing, but she hated being a journalist, of course, at this point in her life it was a natural instinct. But, her favourite thing to write were passages about love and life. No one knew about the things that Betty wrote about, her passages about loving versus being in love, poetry about feeling completely alone while surrounded by people, but one thing she found herself writing about a lot in her final year of high school was fate. She felt trapped, her mom was expecting her to be married by her 19th birthday and despite always doing what her mother wanted, as time went on, Betty began to question what the right path for her was. She found herself filling up notebooks with drabbles about feeling misunderstood and lost. Betty knew there was something else out there for her, she just didn’t know what exactly that was. “I think that there’s something and someone out there for everyone. When I take a minute to look at the sky and all it’s stars, I truly believe there’s someone else out there in a situation like mine looking at them for the same kind of hope.” Jughead looked at Betty in awe as she spoke, she was truly beautiful. The way she talked about her beliefs and hope in the world made her green eyes shine, despite the underlining sad feeling coming from their conversation, a smile never left her face as she spoke.

Jughead went to speak but was cut off my the ringing of his cell phone, he let out a small groan before pulling it from his jacket pocket. Veronica’s name appeared across the screen and he sighed heavily, lifting his phone to show Betty, she smiled, understanding this meant Veronica probably wanted him back at the apartment building. It came to Betty’s attention that because of her conversation with Jughead she’d been out much later than intended and suddenly afraid that Veronica might be worrying where she was. “Oh, no.” Betty said, sighing heavily. “How about we tell Ronnie your car broke down and I saw you on the side of the road? I can give you a ride back if you’re okay getting on a bike.” Betty thought about it for a second, but knew it was probably her best cover up to Veronica instead of being interrogated with questions about why she was at the Drive-In and then the inevitable questions about not having a cell phone and how she would buy her one.

“Okay.” She said, ignoring the fear inside of her as she was quite literally putting her life in Jughead’s hands. She began walking back to the building where his bike was parked behind, and just before getting on Jughead spoke,

“Betty?” She turned to him and smiled,

“Yeah?”

“Would you be up for another night like this? Except preferably at a table with food in front of us. We can finish that game of questions.” Jughead was blushing and nervous as he tried to take in Betty’s reaction, but much to his delight, her face also went red and her smile grew wider.

“I’d like that.” Betty said, before allowing Jughead to get on the bike and then getting on behind him, still ignoring her fear that had thankfully settled with Jughead asking her out on a date. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her head against his back as he started up the motorcycle and drove back to the apartment.  

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer to a romance between this version of Bughead and I hope you all with stick with me for the ride!
> 
> Comments are HUGELY appreciated!


	4. Don't Come Back (To Haunt Me)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as Jughead thinks that things are starting to look up with him and Betty, her past makes a threatening appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to my amazing beta, Juggiehasmyheart17 for being so quick on editing this chapter <3 you're amazing!  
> Also for creating me an aesthetic for this fic, as I already have one, but wanted another!

_ The thing about her is that she’s fearless, despite her demons, and all the enemies she’s made in her life. When she’s faced with a challenge, she takes it head on, no matter what may happen to her. _

 

After leaving the Drive-In on Friday night, Jughead and Betty had barely seen each other. Betty had been busy at Pop’s. and Veronica was taking her shopping or out for drinks any chance she got. While Jughead stayed in his apartment, putting all his time and focus on to writing, except the few times that he had  _ attempted  _ to talk to Archie. Things had slightly improved for them over the last few days, but he knew there was more Archie was holding back. There was more he needed to talk about before forgiveness budded. It was Wednesday night before Jughead and Betty ran into each other again. There  was a football game at the school, and Veronica made them both promise to come. Ever since returning to the apartment together, she’s made hints to Betty and Jughead about setting them up. Tonight was her first opportunity to do so. Pop’s knew it was a game night. Always the most important night in such a small town, one of the few events that had nearly the entire town in one place at the same time. And so, he closed the diner down until 9pm, the time it would be finished, giving Betty no excuse on why she couldn’t go.

“You look amazing, B.” Veronica cheered as Betty looked at herself in the mirror. Per Veronica’s request, she was in a pair of short shorts that showed off her  _ very  _ long and  _ very  _ tanned legs. She paired it with a white t-shirt and long baby blue cover up to keep her arms warm. It was a casual end of the summer look, but given how different it was to what Betty normally wore, Veronica was pleased with her choice of outfit for the night. She blushed as Veronica smiled at her and clapped her hands, “Jughead is going to fall over at how beautiful you look.” She squealed.

Betty turned away from the mirror and chuckled, “what makes you think that Jughead likes me?” She asked, curious as to why Veronica was so set on making them an item.

“I’ve known Jughead for the better part of my whole life, and I’ve seen him write. But he’s never once locked himself away for hours at a time and come out with huge success the way he has these past few days.” Veronica smiled, “I’d say someone sparked inspiration in him.”

Betty was surprised by this revelation, the last she and Jughead talked about his novel, he was still struggling, although at the Drive-In. Although he did mention having managed to get some writing done. “Oh.”

“Wouldn’t that be so cute? Me and Archie, you and Jughead?” She cheered, “I know you’ve only been here for less than a year, but you’re my best friend.” Veronica was so happy and she pulled Betty in for a hug. Suddenly a rush of guilt went over Betty as she thought about what Veronica said. Veronica was her best friend too, and she might even say she loved the girl, but she had a whole other life Veronica knew nothing about. There were so many secrets between them and it killed her to know that the other woman trusted her so deeply. “Now, I’m going to get Archie, but we’ll meet you at the car, okay?” She offered when last smile before heading out of the apartment room.

Betty took one last look in the mirror and sighed, before sliding on her sandals and heading out the door. As she walked down the hall, the elevator door opened and Jughead was standing there. His eyes went wide as he looked at Betty.  He couldn't tear them away from her legs and he was incapable of stopping himself from noticing how toned they looked. Betty’s mouth fell agape when she saw him, his black hair was free from it’s crown-beanie and there was one curl that fell over his eyes, he wore a pair of dark jeans, accompanied by a t-shirt that had a ‘S’ on it, and a dark red flannel underneath a black leather jacket. It wasn’t very different from his normal look, but something about this was... _ different. _

“Hey.” He was the first to speak, and moved to the side, allowing her to step into the elevator. Her cheeks flushed red at the sound of his voice, knowing he was speaking to her.

“Hey yourself.” She smiled, playing with her hands awkwardly as she stood beside him. She stood so close that if she moved the slightest bit, their bodies would be touching. “Excited for the game?”

“Oh, yeah. Watching a bunch of guys fighting for a weird shaped ball is my dream version of a Wednesday night.” Jughead chuckled, “You looking forward to the blast from your past?” He asked, offering her a wink after speaking.

“I’ve always wanted to relive my teen years.” Betty answered so sarcastically that anyone with half a brain would no she was lying. Just as she went to say something else, the elevator doors opened and they were greeted by Veronica and Archie standing at the lobby desk.

“Ready?” Veronica chirped, putting her hand in Archie’s and smiling as she walked out the front doors.

 

\--

 

To anyone else in Riverdale, a Wednesday night football game was the ideal thing, but to Betty and Jughead, both of them knew of a million other places they’d rather be.

Because of Archie being a former player and teacher at the school, they were all gifted to seats in the front row, right behind where the team and coaches sat. Everyone around them cheered and had something to say whenever something happened, while the two of them sat silently and watched the reactions from everyone else. Riverdale Bulldogs were winning which put Archie in a good mood, and that meant Veronica was also in a good mood. Neither one of them wanted to ruin the fun for their friends, but certainly couldn’t endure another forty minutes of this torture.

“Want to get out of here?” Jughead whispered in Betty’s ear, the feel of his breath on her skin brought a warmth between her legs that she hadn’t felt in years. Unable to trust her voice, she nodded. “Arch, we’re going to get drinks. You two want anything?” He asked, making an excuse for their absence, while knowing their wasn’t much of a chance either one of them would reply. Jughead chuckled and grabbed Betty’s hand, leading her out of the crowd of people. They were about to walk through the gates when the sound of someone’s voice caused Betty to stop in her tracks,

“Betty? Is that you?” Betty turned to see a beautiful young man, he was about five years older than her and his name was Kevin Keller, one of her closest friends from when she lived in the city. However, not nearly close enough for her to trust him with the information about what his co-worker did to her behind closed doors. She loved him, but he worked with her husband, and she couldn’t risk opening up to him, only to end up being called a liar. Betty clenched Jughead’s hand in fear and let out a shaky breath,

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met.” She lied, fighting back the tears in her eyes.

“It’s me. Kevin. Kevin Keller?” He said his name and the sound of it made her heart hurt, Kevin was always so kind.

“That’s a nice name, but I’m not who you think I am.” This time, it wasn’t a lie. Because she was no longer the same Betty Cooper that left the city all those months ago. “Enjoy the rest of the game, and I apologize for any confusion.” She smiled, before pulling Jughead away from the bleachers.

“Who was that?” Jughead asked as they stood in the parking lot.

“I told him, I don’t know him.” Betty lied again, but the look on Jughead’s face told her that he didn’t believe what she was saying.

“He knew your name, Betty.” He stated.  _ Shit,  _ she thought, he had said her name and she was just hoping Jughead hadn’t heard it, or that it had been forgotten. “Is he someone from where you used to live?” Jughead suggested, realizing that it may be hard for Betty to talk about.  

“Jug, please, just leave it, okay?” Betty asked, looking him in the eyes with an expression that was unreadable. “Can’t we just enjoy the night?” She smiled up at him and bashed her eyelashes, Jughead chuckled lightly, finding it unbelievable that this woman could make him feel so many things. When the elevator doors opened, all he wanted to do was rip off the clothes she was wearing and take her to his apartment. As they sat watching the dreadful football game, he wanted to hold her hand and kiss her hair. But standing here now, he wanted to hold her like he did that night at the Drive-In and have her open up to him. Never in all his life had one woman made him so many different ways in such a short amount of time, or ever. There had never been a woman in his life that he was with, whom he felt this strongly towards.

“So, you want to head back to the game?” Jughead offered, reluctantly, as the watching the game was the last thing he wanted to do. Much to his surprise, Betty took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his torso,

“I was thinking something more along the lines of going back to the apartment.” Betty winked. Jughead’s eyes went wide but the smile didn’t leave his face.

“I’m okay with that.” He let out breathlessly, and she chuckled before pulling back and taking his hand.

“Well, it would be nice wouldn’t it?” She smiled, “But we promised that we’d come for the game and I think you should buy me dinner before taking me home.” Betty said, and with that, she was walking back to the bleachers.

Jughead stood against the pole as he tried to compose himself, when someone came up behind him, “hey.” The voice was low and rough, one he didn’t recognize but turned around to face them anyway.

“Uh, hi?” Jughead said, almost as if it were a question. The man he saw was about his age, maybe younger. He was tall and wore a black suit with a white dress shirt underneath, not your typical high school football game attire. His expression was serious, and it reminded Jughead of the men he used to see on a daily basis around his home, of course, their outfits matched their expressions nicely. This man looked like a mixture of rich and unsatisfied.

“That young lady you were just talking to, what’s her name?” He asked, hands still held together in front of his lower abdomen as he stood waiting for an answer, “she’s very pretty.”

“Yeah, um, I’m going back to the game.” Jughead said awkwardly before beginning to walk away, however, he was stopped in his tracks when the man spoke again.

“She’s going to make you fall in love with her and then disappear, I hope you know that.” Jughead wanted to turn around and yell at the man to mind his own business, to tell him he knew nothing about Betty and that he had no right to speak up. But, as those thoughts circled around in his mind, he realized that  _ he  _ was the one who knew nothing about Betty and had no right to speak up. Jughead was only aware of the things Betty had told him, which, as of Friday night was a lot more than most people knew, but still not a lot. He sighed, clenching his fists together before regaining composure and walking back to the football game.

Betty smiled up at Jughead as he took a seat beside her and he offered her a small smile back. He wasn’t expecting her to place her own hand over his once he was comfortable again. Jughead held back from asking her about someone who would show up in a small town on a Wednesday night dressed to the nines, and tried to push back his thoughts of all the possibilities. But as he sat there and looked at Betty as she watched the game, the way her face was full of confusion, but her green eyes lit up whenever the Bulldogs got a touchdown and the crowd roared.  The way she smiled when Veronica whispered in her ear, he realized that man was right. Betty Cooper was going to make him fall in love with her.

 

\--

 

The next morning came rather quickly for Jughead, after the game, he, Betty, Veronica, and Archie along with a fair portion of the town headed to Pop’s for a meal. Betty was asked to work as they were understaffed for such a busy night, which gave him a lot of time alone with the nosiest person he knew, Veronica Lodge. She had asked him a series of questions ranging from where he and Betty went during the game, how close they looked on the bleachers, and whether or not tonight they were both going to get lucky. As they arrived back the apartment, she promised him the interrogation would continue the following day over a breakfast at Pop’s and then a drive to the supermarket. Jughead wasn’t exactly sure how he got roped into helping Veronica with her grocery trip, but every time he even thought of arguing with her she would throw in his face that they lost nine years and this was simply making up for it. Archie stood by and allowed his fiance to drive Jughead absolutely mad, because honestly, he got a kick out of it. He still wasn’t ready to fully forgive nor trust Jughead yet, but he enjoyed moments when it was like they were all back in high school again. Brooding Jughead Jones unable to save himself from the wrath of Veronica Lodge and her scheming ways, it was comical, and Archie enjoyed it very,  _ very  _ much.

Jughead rubbed his eyes and groaned as he hit the snooze button on his alarm clock, trying to ignore the banging on his front door. He looked at the clock, 8:30 am, shit, Archie would’ve left just over an hour ago which meant Veronica was ready to go for breakfast. He threw one of his extra pillows over his face and sighed, slightly wishing he could smother himself in that very moment, but instead he let the pillow fall. He jumped back when the door swung open and the sound of heels on the hardwood floor became louder. Veronica was standing there at his bedroom door, one of her signature black dresses with a band of pearls around her neck and Louis Vuitton bag on her arm.

“Let’s go Jonesy, we’ve got stuff to talk about.” She winked, before turning around and walking into the living room, “Get dressed.” Veronica yelled back as she took a seat at his kitchen table and waited for her friend.

Jughead pulled on his normal get up before rushing out into his living room, “I’m not even going to mention how creepy you showing up here this early is.” He growled as he threw on his flannel coat and combat boots, “To get this out of the way, Betty did not come here after her shift last night.” Jughead added, walking to open the door and following behind Veronica when she walked out.

“I figured as much, it’d have been very rude of you to kick her out before early morning.” She chuckled. “I hope you know I’m only joking when I Tease you about her. I know you’re not here permanently or anything.” Veronica said, this time her head was down and tone dry.

“Hey, Ronnie.” Jughead said, grabbing Veronica’s arm and turning her around, “this isn’t set in stone yet or anything, but I’m here to stay. When I left all those years ago...it was...complicated.” He sighed, “I miss you guys so much, and I’m not going to fix things with Archie just to ruin it by leaving again.” He assured her, his mind hadn’t been set this whole time, but after the conversation at the Drive-In, he knew what he needed to do.

Jughead and Veronica were in the lobby when a young woman with long locks of vibrant red hair, dressed in a matching tank top and white jeans came barreling in the front doors. “Can I help you?” Veronica asked her, stopping in her tracks to confront the woman.

“I’m just visiting an old friend.” She snarled, rushing past them to the elevator. Jughead looked at Veronica who stood there stunned, he took one last glance at the now closing elevator doors and a feeling rushed over him.

Something bad was going to happen.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always HUGELY appreciated and keep me, as well as all other writers, motivated to continue telling our story!


	5. Not Your Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this has taken forever to get up, and I am SO SORRY. I promise, the next few chapters are written already, there was just a communication problem between my beta and I. 
> 
> However, I have a few beta @anasteeles, who is amazing and beta'd this all last night so I could get it up for you guys!

_ The thing about her is that she’s intelligent. Without having to say a single word, she can tell when something’s wrong. But more than that, she’s capable of hiding when something is wrong with her. She’s mastered the art of not getting too close. Her intelligence knows no boundaries, and neither does her heart. _

 

Betty lay awake in her bed on Thursday morning as her mind traces back to the previous night, for a few different reasons. 

 

She thinks about Jughead and how good he looked in the elevator, she thinks about the way his breath felt against her skin and how it made her body weak, she thinks about holding his hand and hugging him-- how good it felt.

 

But then, she thinks about Kevin: how he recognized her immediately and how his smile faded when she pretended not to know him. Betty had always liked Kevin, despite working with a man like her husband. He was kind hearted and upbeat. Of course, he was the business’s only gay man and loved drama as much as teenage girl, but his intentions were pure and always selfless. She allowed herself to wonder what he was doing in Riverdale for only a second when she jumped back and let out a yelp at the sound of her front door slamming shut and a voice she only ever heard once a week coming from outside her bedroom. Quickly, Betty got out of her bed and walked in the living room where Cheryl was pacing back in forth in her 4-inch black heels and hand held over her chest.

 

“Betty, we need to get you out of here, now!” She warned. Betty had no time to panic because Cheryl was grabbing a coat off the rack and a pair of running shoes from the front door. “For once, I don’t care that you’re in your pajamas, it is not safe here. Let’s go.” Cheryl said, tossing Betty the coat and walking to stand at the door, hand resting on the knob as Betty tried her hardest to get her coat and shoes on as quickly as possible.

 

Betty slipped on her last shoe and Cheryl already had the door open. She walked ahead of Betty and started talking, “We don’t have a lot of time. When we get downstairs, I need you to take the back doors out and if you see anyone you know, don’t acknowledge them. Walk down the street until you see an old black jeep. The keys are in the glove department. Take it, and drive out of here without looking back. Then you will meet me at the border of the States and Canada. You need to get far away, Betty.” She demanded, not holding anything back before they even reached the elevators.

 

“What about you?” Betty asked, always concerned for her oldest friend.  

 

“I have my car waiting for me at the place where I purchased this jeep. I will be taking your car there and getting rid of it. It’s not far so don’t fret. Our biggest concern is getting you out of here.” Cheryl offered a sympathetic smile, “I’m not sure how, but Chuck has managed to find your whereabouts and I got wind of him planning on travelling out here. If he got a head start on me, then we need to act fast.”

 

“No goodbyes?” She asked, trying not to sound disappointed. “I made friends here Cheryl.” Betty admitted, holding back tears as the elevator reached the main floor.

 

They stepped out and Cheryl sighed, “We only ever had one rule. Don’t get too comfortable.” She leaned in and gave Betty a hug, “It’s going to be okay. There’s a good chunk of cash in the glove department with the keys. When you get somewhere safe, hours away from here, purchase a phone and ring me.”

 

“I love you.” Betty said, letting tears fall from her eyes, as she didn’t want to let go of Cheryl.

 

“I love you too. Stay safe.” And with that, Cheryl was walking out the front door. Betty wiped away her tears and turned around, she raced quickly to the back of the building and looked around to make sure the coast was clear. There was no traffic nor people in sight, so she stepped outside. Within minutes, Betty saw an old black jeep and let out a sigh of relief. She ran to the jeep and got inside at a quick speed. The keys were set on top of an envelope in the glove department and she wasted no time taking them to turn on the engine. Betty drove until she was at the Twilight Drive-In and parked behind the building, exactly where Jughead had parked almost a week prior. Thinking back to that night and how close she had gotten with the first man she trusted in years, her heart shattered and broke into a fit of sobs.

 

Betty knew the risk of staying too long, so she wiped away her tears for another time that day and put the car into drive. She took in everything around her as this had become the place she considered home, and a single tear rolled down her cheeks as she drove past the sign that read, “Welcome to Riverdale, the town with pep!”

 

\--

 

Jughead had barely survived the morning. Listenting to Veronica go on and on about wedding plans over breakfast drove him absolutely mad. He swore that if he had to hear about the colour of bridesmaid dresses one more time, he’d cut off his own ears. Of course, Veronica told him he was being the same dramatic boy that he’d always been. She had obviously mentioned the woman with vibrant red hair from before they left as well, having a million questions about her, but it wasn’t until Pop’s came up to them that he really started to lose it.

 

“Hey you two. Veronica, have you seen Betty this morning?” Pop asked with a small smile.

 

Jughead looked at Veronica who seemed confused, “Not today I haven’t, why?”

 

“Well you see, she was supposed to start her shift ten minutes ago and it isn’t here yet. That lovely young lady has never been late for a shift, so I’m just a little worried, is all.” He explained, and Veronica was now left in an even greater state of surprise.

 

From what he’d heard, Betty had appeared to be perfect. Never been late, never missed a shift, never called in sick, and it didn’t sit right with him that she was late today. Suddenly, his mind went back to that young woman from earlier in the day. She had kept her cool as she walked throughout the lobby, but her eyes told a different story. She was determined, but looked… scared. Jughead thought about how Betty still talked to one person from her past, and how last night there were two men that seemed to know her. All of these things separately may not be alarming, but together, it caused an unsettling feeling inside Jughead. Veronica promised Pop that before heading to the supermarket, she and Jughead would stop back at the apartment building to see if Betty was there.

 

“This is crazy.” Veronica said as she drove down the streets of Riverdale, “There’s got to be something wrong. Betty doesn’t miss work. Betty is the perfect girl that all us other women wish we could be.” She whined, still carefully parking her expensive car. Veronica turned it off and got out. Jughead was quick to follow behind her as they went into the apartment building. “She’s going to be fine.” Veronica said, but she wasn’t sure if that was more so telling Jughead, or trying to reassure herself as her worry increased the closer she got to being given an answer.

 

The entire elevator ride, Veronica was mumbling to Jughead about how this wasn’t supposed to be how the day went. She complained that she had found a best friend in Betty and didn’t want to spend time worrying about if she was okay or not. Jughead held back his scoff, because in his mind, being a best friend meant constantly worrying about them. He had worried about Betty without knowing her very long at all, and he wasn’t going to stop. He held Veronica’s hand to calm her down as they reached the floor Betty lived on, and she let go to march down the hallway. Jughead was behind her but stopped in his tracks when she froze and stared at one of the rooms. Veronica looked distressed, and he wasn’t sure what to do. He slowly took a few steps forward and it came to his attention that the door was left wide open. Veronica didn’t do anything, so Jughead took it upon himself to walk inside the apartment. Her shoes from last night were gone, and so was her jacket that he’s seen her wear a few times. Her uniform for Pop’s was neatly folded on the coffee table and when he entered the bedroom, her bed was unmade, as if she got out of it quick this morning and didn’t bother taking another glance at it. He looked around the rest of the apartment, she’s not there.

 

It was in that moment that Jughead thought the man from last night was right again. Betty Cooper would make him fall in love with her, and then disappear.

 


	6. Your Story Changed Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is probably one of the longest at about 4.2k and I really hope you all enjoy!!

Jughead started the second leg of his book right after Easter weekend. His fourth book, “Disappearance” was released in the early weeks of January and he travelled all of February and March. Taking a few days in between dates to return to Riverdale.

 

Betty leaving Riverdale without so much of a goodbye had been hard for Jughead to handle. He found it difficult going to Pop’s without expecting to see her. Going to the Drive-In was no longer the same, and where he lived was marked with pieces of her. It was quite dramatic really, the way he felt. They’d only known each other for a month, and they hadn’t even kissed, but somehow, her absence affected him greatly. Fortunately, it also inspired him. By the end of November, Jughead had an entire novel ready to be sent to his publisher. Of course, when it was sent, there were a million questions from the company about who inspired it and when he would want to start touring. He lied about the inspiration, but told them touring should start sooner rather than later. For the first two months, Jughead had a secret hope that he would run into Betty through the course of his tour, he would purposely take time to go to every small diner or coffee shop in each town, praying to whatever God was above that she would be working there. But eventually, that hope died down. The more cities and towns he visited, the less he thought she would be there. That is why today, in mid-April as he was doing a book signing at a large library in Toronto, Ontario, the last person he expected to see was the inspiration for his newest novel, Betty Cooper.

 

Of course, she wasn’t Betty here. Her name tag read ‘Sofia’ and she had cut her hair shorter, the clothing she was in much different from that of her Riverdale outfits. When their eyes met, hers went wide with fear. At first, Jughead thought he was hallucinating, that there was no possible way Betty was standing a mere 20 feet away from him. But then, he heard her speak, and he knew. It really was Betty. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her, zoning out and not paying attention to the line up of fans that went out the front doors, but when his publisher hit him on the shoulder, his focus was back. Except now, every so often, his gaze would move from the adoring fans and wander to Betty as she stood behind the checkout counter and smiled at the stores regular customers. Sometimes, her eyes would fall to him as well, but never at the same time. Almost as if they weren’t supposed to see each other.

 

The rest of his book signing seemed to go by incredibly slow, the thought of Betty being so close, yet so far away, haunting him the entire afternoon. As the crowd finally cleared and his publisher told him he was good to go, Jughead let out a sigh of relief. But as he was packing up his things and watching everyone in the building around him, he realized maybe he shouldn’t be relieved. Sure, Betty was here. But she had left without a goodbye, and that meant she didn’t care about him as much as he thought. Jughead went to the washroom and splashed water across his face, trying to hide his burning complexion as he thought about her.

 

When he came out, the library was emptier than he’d seen one since being in Riverdale, and when he looked over to the counter, Betty was leaning against it reading a book, much like that truthful night at Pop’s. He took a quick glance at the book, and then stepped back, realizing it was  _ his  _ book she had in her hands. Walking backwards, he stumbled and hit something, causing Betty to look up and his heart tore apart at the sight in front of him. Tears were in her eyes and she looked broken, but then, her face went red with fury and the tears disappeared, replaced with pure anger.

 

“Jughead.” She whispered, but still loud enough that he heard her. He got ahold of himself and walked over to the counter where she was standing behind.

 

“Betty.” He whispered, more quiet than she had.

 

“It’s Sofia here.” Betty stated and he let out a soft chuckle before a million feelings over took them both. “Your new book-it’s amazing.”

 

“Really? You looked quite mad a minute ago.” This time it was Betty’s turn to chuckle, when he walked out of the rest room her previous emotions on the book had gone away, only anger appearing as she came to the conclusion,  _ Jughead was really here.  _ She wasn’t mad at him, or that he was here. She was mad that this is where they had to see each other again. She was mad that her chance of a life with him had been ripped away from her by the same man who seemed to destroy everything she ever had. But more than that, she was mad at herself for leaving. Seeing the pain in his eyes, and then reading his words, he had loved her, if that was even possible with the limited amount of time they spent together. Facing him after all these months made her remember making that choice to leave, and it was the one place over the year and a half she’d been gone that was actually hard to leave at all.

 

“Did you really mean all those things?” Betty asked, setting the book down carefully to wipe away a few stray tears. “That you thought I was always real about who I was, and that I was selfless, you fell for me before even getting to know me?” Wiping those tears away was a waste as more began to fall when she stepped around the counter and looked at Jughead, “did you mean it when you said I was fearless and intelligent?” She asked, her tears slowing as a sad smile fell upon her face.

 

“Yes.” Was all he could say as Betty Cooper was only inches away from him and he was finally getting what he had spent months hoping and praying her.

 

“No one has ever said such beautiful things about me.” Betty cried, pulling Jughead in for a tight hug, and just like that night all those months ago, feeling content and safe in his strong arms as her head leant against his chest and his chin rested on top of her hair.

 

When she pulled back they were both smiling ridiculously, and Jughead didn’t know what to do with himself. “You can say no to this, but I really hope you don’t. I have so many questions, Betty-”

 

“Please.” She begged, looking at him with her smile fading as she knew what he was going to ask.

 

“I believe I asked you out for a dinner I never got.” He smirked, trying to lighten the mood, “I was wondering if maybe we could go out tonight? I have been eating myself alive with questions about you, and you’re here. Please.”

 

“Meet me at this restaurant-” Betty said, grabbing Jughead’s hand and taking a pen off the counter to write down an address, “at 8pm. We can eat, and talk. But you’re paying.”Jughead couldn’t even think of arguing as Betty headed back around to refill her sales clerk position and he smiled, shaking his head, as he walked out of the library. Feeling, for the first time since the night at the Drive-In, completely hopeful.

 

Normally, Jughead would already be catching the first flight or bus back to Riverdale, but tonight was going to be different. He called his team to tell them that he would be joining them on their travels to the next destination, receiving a confused phone call from his publisher who was used to him travelling on his own from his hometown. He also had to call Archie and Veronica, which of course, led to assumptions about him meeting a woman. Which, in their defence, wasn’t exactly  _ not  _ true. He told them that he had in fact, met someone. Knowing that there would be a fair bit of questions about it when he made his next trip back to Riverdale, but for now, Jughead would ignore the questioning and enjoy this time he was being given to share with Betty.

 

They were in a busy city, and as of Jughead’s calculations, it would take precisely half an hour to get to the restaurant from his hotel. So, at exactly 7:20pm, Jughead took one final look in the mirror, continuing to play with the loose black curl hanging down in front of his eyes, before heading down the hallway and into the elevator. The amount of times Jughead had done this, stood in an elevator and waiting to see Betty at where ever he was going when he got off, was a lot. He had spent weeks at the apartment hoping she would be in the lobby when he came downstairs in the morning (well in Jughead’s case, the afternoon), and there were days when he would stop on the fifth floor, just to see if she was home. This time though, it felt different. This time, Jughead  _ knew  _ Betty was going to be there and that made the elevator ride much more bearable.

 

As Jughead drove through the city streets, he watched couples walking down the sidewalk hand in hand, smiles on their faces, and the warm wind blowing the girl’s long hair in her face. He saw some people walking on their own, and felt a strange connection to them. Being alone was something Jughead had known far too well, and it hurt him to watch as someone walked alone surrounded by many people that were together. Together. It made him think about how in less than an hour, he would be sitting across from Betty at a table, on a proper date. Well, if you could even call it that. It was then, that Jughead realized how crazy all of this was.

 

Over the years, he had women in his life, but no one he ever  _ wanted  _ to stay. With Betty, she had come at a time he least expected it. At a time when his professional life was falling apart because he couldn’t seem to write a single sentence without hitting ‘delete’. She had come into his life when he needed to know how to fix the things that had gone wrong, and was the one to give him the answers. She came into his life when he needed to reminded of what it was like to love someone, and Betty did just that. But then she disappeared. Jughead knew he couldn’t hold it over his head without knowing her reasons, but he had spent months wondering what could have happened. Months wondering if it was him, or how close they had gotten at the football game. He had spent every night for months staying awake until the early AM wondering why he never got a goodbye. Tonight, he was determined to put his thoughts to rest once and for all.

 

Jughead pulled up in front of the address Betty had given him at exactly 7:50pm. He parked in the large lot that was out back, before proceeding to go inside. It was a nice enough place, not the most glamorous he had ever seen, but he didn’t need expensive and flashy. Jughead would be lying if he said he didn’t expect something else, but this place reminded him a lot of Pop’s, with the big neon sign outfront and the even brighter lights hung from the ceiling, the way that there’s a bar set up with retro napkin and condiment holders, and then he sees it, Betty sitting in a booth with neon blue seats at the back of the diner, right against the window. Nearly the exact spot he was in that night at Pop’s when they first met.

 

Her short locks were curled and set nicely right above her shoulders, and he could tell from her backside that she wore a knitted long sleeve top. As he got closer, he noticed she had her hands clasped together, which in his life, was always a form of dealing with stress. Remembering their night in a diner similar to this one, instead of putting his hand on her shoulder, he whispered, “Betty,” before taking a seat across from her.

 

Just like earlier in the day, there were tears in her eyes, and he knew this time that they had nothing to do with his book. “I’m sorry.” Betty said, raising her hand to wipe away the tears as Jughead stared at her, no words coming out. “I just...thinking about what I’m going to tell you, it’s a lot.”

With that, Jughead reached his hand out and put it over hers, “take your time. I have all night.” He smiled shyly, and much to his delight, she was able to give him a small smile in return.

 

“I was a cheerleader in high school, dating the quarterback of the football team.” She chuckled, thinking back to their night at the Twilight Drive-In and how she should’ve just told him everything then. Maybe he could have protected her and she never would’ve had to leave Riverdale, maybe… “His name is Chuck. Chuck Clayton. He comes from a very rich family, a long line of men and women who were business executives and run some of New York’s biggest companies. He seemed...perfect, when we were in high school. He was funny, and kind, smart too, and of course, athletic.” Betty laughed, “he was everything you could want in a guy that you’re going to marry. Or that your parents want you to marry. It’s not that I didn’t love him, because I believe I did, but I wasn’t  _ in  _ love with him.”

 

She was interrupted by a waitress coming to their table, “Can I take your order.” The young woman asked.

 

“Two burgers, both with a large fry and coke. Vanilla milkshakes for desert.” Betty answered, smiling at Jughead as his eyes went wide when she recited his usual order from Pop’s. The woman nodded before heading off to help the next customer, “I remembered.”

 

“That you did.” He chuckled.

 

“Anyway.” Betty sighed, “my parents had this plan for my life. I was going to graduate, go to NYU for journalism, marry a rich man who also had a handle in the sports industry, and have two kids before I got into my late 20’s. It wasn’t great, but it could have been worse.” A cold laugh fell from her lips, “I should’ve never lived by that motto, because one day it did get worse. We had just moved into our first apartment together, and he came home after a night out with his university buddies and he was pretty wasted. I had seen him drunk before, but never anything like this. He went on about how I should’ve cared about him more, should’ve been more supportive of his career choices and put the effort in to get to know his friends.” A single tear rolled down each of her cheeks, “I told him I was sorry and that I had school work to do. That’s when he really lost it. Telling me that his life was more important and I was going to be writing for online newspapers at most, that my writing dream would take me nowhere. Then I made a mistake and told him he was being harsh, he looked at me and laughed, but the laugh was empty, and he asked me ‘do you want to see me being harsh?’ and before I knew it, his hand was connecting with my left cheek.”

 

Jughead looked at her in complete and utter shock, of all the things Betty could have told him, this was pretty far down the list. Of course, he had suspected it once or twice, but it never made sense to him that she would run to stay away from an abusive partner opposed to telling her family about it. He wanted to go over to her side of the booth, wrap her in his arms and tell she was going to be okay, but he knew he couldn’t. “Bet-”

 

“No.” She said firmly, “I need to tell you all of this, even if it hurts.” Jughead said no more, but he truly commended Betty for her strength. How she was willing to open up to him within the same day of seeing him again, even if he was mad at her for leaving, at least now there was part of him that understood why. “At first, it was just when he could drink. But then, I got scared to sleep with him and it became worse. He’d call me sexual slurs, tell me I was a slut or a whore and that I opened my legs for other men while he was at work. He was terrible, Juggie. One time, I invited one of my oldest friends over for dinner, not knowing he would be coming home. He got there only minutes before her, and when he saw that I had a dinner made for two, he assumed I was cheating on him. She walked in as he was holding me against the wall with his hand around my throat,” a sob escaped her as Betty reached her hand up to rub the skin around her neck. “She had learned to fight in MMA back in high school, so she was strong enough to get him off of me and we just ran, without looking back. She drove me until we got outside of town, and then stopped at a bank to take out money for me. Her family was even richer than his, and for once, I wasn’t going to turn her offer to make me a purchase down. Because she bought me my freedom.” Betty smiled as she thought about Cheryl, but then felt sentimental as she thought about the dinners they had shared together and how much she missed the woman, “the morning after the football game, she came barging into my apartment to tell me that he had gotten wind of where I was, and I had to leave, Jug. I couldn’t let him find me.” As Betty’s tears began to start again, Jughead didn’t let her be this time, he got up and moved beside her, pulling her into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and used his t-shirt to wipe away the still-falling tears.

 

“If you had told me, I would’ve understood.” Jughead stated, and Betty knew that. Jughead had the kindest heart of anyone she had ever met, but it was hard for her to trust men after what happened to her. Even harder for her to trust someone who made her feel the way he did, but when his arms were around her, she couldn’t help but fall apart at his touch. Despite her trust issues and the life of pain she had dealt with, when she was around Jughead, it was like that was all forgotten. “I would’ve helped you with him. I could’ve-” He stopped himself before mentioning his plan. The men he knew he could gather to go after a sick fuck who dare call himself a man when he put his hands on a woman, worse so, a woman that loved him. The very thought of this piece of shit made Jughead’s stomach churn.

 

“I never got too comfortable anywhere. Leaving after a few weeks, but Riverdale was different. It felt like it was where I was  _ supposed  _ to be, and I miss it everyday.” Betty admitted, “I miss hearing Veronica whine about Archie as she sits on a stool at Pop’s while I’m on my shift, I miss being dragged to god awful football games and music shows, and…” She stopped, looking Jughead in the eyes before turning away shyly, “I miss you.”

 

“Come back.” He said as if it were the obvious choice, completely unaware of his own words until he saw her facial expression. “I mean-”

 

“You’d want me to come back?” She asked, somehow surprised at this revelation despite knowing how much Jughead cared for her, “how would it even work?”

 

“I don’t know, but you said it yourself, you can’t stay in one place for too long.” He smiled, causing her to laugh despite the circumstances, “I bet it’s just about time for you to leave again, and at least in Riverdale you have people who know and care about you. And, you have me.”

 

“What, you don’t know and care about me?” She chuckled at his choice of words.

 

“You know what I mean.” Jughead pulled away from her just as their food was being given to them, the waitress looked at Betty with a questioning look, but her smile and small nod was enough to tell the woman it was okay to go. Jughead went back to the other side of the booth and watched Betty as she ate her food.

 

“What?”   
  
  


“I can’t believe we eat the same thing.” He shook his head, laughing slightly. “I can’t believe you remembered my order.” He added.

 

“Well, it’s the same as mine. Kind of hard to forget.” That was a fair point, he assumed and laughed one last time before beginning to eat his food.

 

They ate in silence, just enjoying the other’s company, before Betty jumped back the ringing of Jughead’s phone. He lifted his phone from his pocket, and placed his free hand over hers, as if to say ‘it’s okay,’ and smiled as she let out a sigh of relief. Betty knew the second Jughead groaned into the phone that he was talking to Veronica, she somehow had a way of bringing that reaction out of him, constantly. There wasn’t much being said on his side of the line besides the occasional, “yes, Ronnie,” and an eye roll simply to make Betty laugh-which he succeeded in. After a few minutes, he finally ended the call and made sure to shut his phone off before sticking it in his pocket. “I normally go back to Riverdale after a signing, and told her I had met someone.” He explained, finding it hard not to be honest when she was looking at him with those sparkling green eyes that held a world of pain behind them.

 

“And you going on a date is a big deal to her, is it?” Betty asked, unable to help herself from being curious about the life Jughead has lived since she left. The rational side of her knew it wasn’t right, that if Jughead was with anyone, it was none of her business. But then, the completely irrational part of her that seemed to be active during her interactions with Jughead told her she needed to know.

 

“Well…” He began, finding himself begin to blush at the embarrassing truth.

 

“No one?” She asked in surprise, Jughead was gorgeous, and she was surprised no one snatched him before they ever met.

 

“No one.” He confirmed, feeling content with the satisfied smile that creeped onto Betty’s face at his words. “I know it’s crazy, because we never even kissed. But, I wanted you.” Jughead admitted.

 

Betty’s cheeks flushed a deep red and she smiled, “Let’s get out of here.” Without another word, he was laying cash on the table and taking her hand to leave the diner.

 

They walked along the city streets and allowed the lights to shine on them while remaining silent. Both in the comfort of the other’s presence, much like when they were eating at the diner. Jughead hadn’t let go of Betty’s hand as they walked, but she didn’t mind. This all seemed so surreal to her, for someone with the kind of history she had, any sense of happiness was foreign. But what Betty didn’t realize, was Jughead had a dark past of his own, and he needed her just as much as she needed him. She was also unaware of the way he trusted people, and how getting this close to someone wasn’t what he usually did. “Jug?” Betty whispered.

 

“Mhm?”

 

“What’s going to happen in Riverdale?” She looked up at him with a small smile, “With us, I mean.”

 

Jughead was scared around a woman for the first time, unsure of what answer she was looking for. Although he had hopes that she wanted him to say they’d be together, he knew it was much more complicated than that. Betty still had a lot to work through with her trust and her past, and there was also going to be a lot she had to explain to Veronica and Pop if she wanted her home and job back. Jughead also had his book tour, which wasn’t going to be coming to a close for another month. After what she revealed to him at the diner, he wasn’t sure he wanted to leave her alone. “Well, I have to finish my book tour.” He said, fully aware that wasn’t all she meant. “Maybe, I could finally take you on a date somewhere nice when I’m back, and then we go from there. You know, dating?”

 

“Dating.” Betty repeated, a slight edge to her voice. No more words were shared as they walked back to the diner, until they stood in front of Jughead’s truck, “So, how is this going to work exactly?”

 

“Well, I have to leave tomorrow for my next book signing. You could take the day to work things out with your boss and tenant, and then, when I’m done, I can come back here and we can drive back to Riverdale together.” Jughead hadn’t thought about this was going to work, only saying the first thing that came to mind. “You can drive your jeep, and I’ll follow behind in my truck.”

 

“Or, we leave the jeep. Just to be safe.” Betty said, and she was right. Despite being far away from where she came from, and changing her name, she never could be too safe with a man like her ex-husband.

 

“Okay.” Jughead said, “We can meet and take my truck to Riverdale.”

 

“Okay.” Betty smiled, feeling for the first time in a long time, that everything was going to be okay.

  
  



	7. Where I Belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty returns to Riverdale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRST OFF, I am such a terrible person and I know I'm always promising to update sooner but never do, but this is for REAL this time. I am updating this every Monday and Friday until this fic is finished! I have up until chapter 10 written and will be spending this week and next finishing 11&12\. 
> 
> I deeply apologize for being a crap updater but hope y'all enjoy this chapter!!

Jughead’s book signing felt like it dragged on for years, all he could think about was how Betty was doing back in the city. He knew that opening up to him last night had been hard, but he admired her strength. They had agreed to meet at the same diner today, and then drive to her apartment and gather her belongings, before heading off to Riverdale. Jughead knew this was crazy, a girl he’d known for only a month became a girl he wrote an entire novel about, and then, after months of thinking he’d never see her again, they would be living in the same town. He was driving to the diner, and couldn’t seem to get there fast enough. Hitting every red light, being stuck behind long lines of traffic, having to pull over and take phone calls from his publisher, and of course, Veronica and Archie. It was like God changed his mind on this entire thing and was destined to make sure they didn’t get to each other until the sun was long gone. As he finally neared the diner, reality began to set in. This was going to be far from easy. With both of them officially living in Riverdale, there would be a lot of his past Betty would have to know about. He also realized they would be dating while living in the same building, how would this even work? Between the night at the Drive-In and then last night, they had skipped over the first few months of a relationship. The dates with basic questions was long forgotten as Jughead knew Betty’s deepest secret, and Betty was the only one to know Jughead felt stuck in his life. Archie and Veronica’s wedding was nearing, and it hit Jughead that having Betty return would cause his best friend to become even more stressed than she already is-if that was possible. There was so much to come, and as much as Jughead wanted to enjoy this day, relishing in the feeling of having her back, he knew they would have to face reality. Betty was standing out front when he pulled up, her short locks were tied up in a messy ponytail, she wasn’t the same clean and collected girl he was used to seeing. She wore tight jeans and a very baggy top, while wearing no makeup. Despite being in a casual, relaxing outfit, he still thought she was a sight for sore eyes. Her smile as he turned into the driveway, making his heart feel complete. 

 

She walked up to his truck as he parked it, smiling when she comfortable inside. “Hi.” 

 

“Hi.” He said, smiling back at her. A mix of being happy himself, while also just loving to see her smile. “You have a good day?” Jughead asked. 

 

“It was...stressful.” Betty admitted, not wanting to get into detail about her boss was already having a bad day before she said that it wasn’t her two weeks notice, it was that Betty would need to be leaving immediately. Her landlord was less than pleased as he saw her handing in the keys to her apartment, informing him that she would be gathering her things later that evening and then never to be seen again. “How about you?”

 

Jughead chuckled lightly, he had done today what he’s made a living doing for years now, sitting in a chair while smiling at complete strangers and writing little notes beside his signature. But today was different, however, he didn’t want to explain how it was different. So, he smiled, “Same old, same old.” 

 

“What’s it like?” She asked, interested. Betty had always loved writing, and over the years even put together a booklet of all poetry. But her parents had a plan, she was going to be a journalist, and that was final. “Y’know, meeting people who love your book?” 

 

“Honestly, I love it. I love seeing people who are genuinely interested in what I put down on paper, instead of just being supportive friends. But, sometimes, it’s too much. I got a lot of comments from fans who said it felt like forever, and that they’d been waiting a long time for this. My publisher doesn’t know boundaries, I’m not ungrateful, but sometimes, I don’t know. Sometimes I wish I could run away.” Jughead admitted, unaware of what words he chose until he saw her face, “I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s okay.” Betty smiled slightly, “Maybe one day we could run away together for a little while." She laughed, “But right now, we need to get my stuff.” 

 

“Ok.” Jughead said, putting the car into drive and beginning their journey to her apartment. 

 

\--

 

It had taken them less than an hour to gather all of Betty’s things, she didn’t have much, which Jughead was thankful for, but it also made him sad. Seeing a near empty apartment reminded him of his teenage years in a bare beaten down trailer in the Southside of Riverdale. Although the situations were quite different, a lot about what Betty was going through reminded him of his younger years. No one to trust, running from his own family, always looking over his shoulder. Betty had fallen asleep about an hour into the drive, with much more to go, he turned down the radio and allowed her to rest. Avoiding potholes and holding back his road rage at idiotic drivers. She looked so peaceful with her head rested against the window, a small sheepish smile on her face, it made his heart feel warm. Jughead had never a lot of beautiful girls over the years, but no one caught his attention the way Betty did. Even on the first night at Pop’s when he came back to town all those months ago, he noticed how her blonde hair complimented her shining green eyes. He noticed the way she smiled at every customer she greeted, and how her voice was always polite. Of course, he noticed her sinful legs that gave him feelings he hadn’t felt in many years. But more than anything, Jughead noticed how she made his heart feel. He was intrigued and terrified all at once, and then he found out she was best friends with Veronica, to him, that was a sign. A sign that the girl who hadn’t left his head all night despite everything else going on, was supposed to be in his life. It had taken them a long while to get here, to a place where he saw a potential future and held hope at being something  _ real,  _ but he couldn’t be more happy that they’d made it. 

 

Betty was having a hard time keeping a smile off her face as Jughead turned down the music and tried mumbling quietly whenever a passing driver pissed him off. She realized that he thought she was asleep, and so, she took advantage of the time to rest. Feeling Jughead’s stare on her didn’t affect her the way anyone else would. There were times when Betty worked at Pop’s and the library that if someone stared at her too long, she would begin panicking. Assuming that they had something to do with her ex-husband, but when Jughead’s gaze didn’t leave her, it felt like he was constantly making sure she was  _ okay.  _ Of course, Betty was far from okay, but she was finally getting there. As she thought about the feeling she got from Jughead, Betty realized she’d never felt like this before. Not even with her ex-husband before he became abusive. She never  _ trusted  _ him, she never felt like she could rely on him, but more than that, she never felt like she  _ wanted  _ him. But with Jughead, Betty  _ knew  _ she wanted him. She wasn’t stupid, Betty knew there were things that Jughead was holding back, stories about his past, about his writing, about the years since leaving Riverdale, and maybe even since she herself left the small town, but she truly believed he would tell her in his own time. Trust for everyone was different, and Betty would respect Jughead and whatever time he may need. 

 

It wasn’t until he accidently hit a bump that her eyes opened and she groaned, revealing that she was, in fact, awake. Jughead’s head quickly turned away from Betty and focused on the road. “You okay?” He asked. 

 

“Yeah.” She mumbled, acting as if she had just woken up. Taking her hand to rub her eyes, she let out a fake yawn and looked out the window, then over to Jughead, “Where are we?” 

 

“I think we have like two hours left.” He sighed, sounding less than delighted about the drive that was still to come, “Do you want to stop somewhere to get something to eat?”

 

“That actually sounds really nice.” Betty laughed, “I could go for some french fries right now.”

 

Jughead’s eyes widened and looked at Betty, “You’re not serious?” He chuckled, “I was just thinking about a chip truck that might still be open a few miles up, and they have the best fries.” 

 

“Well, then, we have to go.” She smiled, now looking forward to getting some food into her for the first time that day. 

 

Betty normally ate three meals a day, a healthy breakfast, a light lunch, and a cheat meal for dinner. But the stress of seeing Jughead and sharing her past with him had taken over, she  hadn’t been able to stomach anything. Her blueberries that morning ended up being thrown up into the toilet, while the salad she attempted at lunch was thrown out before she even got a third bite,  and she didn’t even bother trying to get something for dinner. Although french fries weren’t the healthiest, especially not from a chip truck, Betty had been through the ringer the past day and decided she deserved to eat whatever she wanted. 

 

The drive was silent after that, Betty continuing to look out the window, while Jughead occasionally moved his eyes from the road to the beautiful blonde in front of him. It began to rain and Betty sighed, she had always hated the rain, ever since her high school years. She had told Jughead that her ex-husband didn’t turn violent until they moved out-but it wasn’t the complete truth. During their second year of high school, there was this homecoming dance. Betty was on the student council at her school and she was the head planner, of course, that interfered with her free time to go to games and she had to take time away from cheerleading. After a long night of planning, Betty had finished just in time to catch the last quarter of the football game and went to watch and support her school. Rain was pouring and she became worried that maybe she’d walk out to find some of the cheerleaders and players injured. However, the sight she saw was heart crushing, and what was to come, would destroy the way she looked at rain for the rest of her life. One of the other cheerleaders, a new girl who was trying her best to fit in, was kissing her boyfriend against the cement wall around the school. Betty had done what any rational girl would have done in that situation, she growled ‘ _ we’re over’  _ before storming off, but unfortunately for her, he followed. She tried to fight back her emotions and stay true to herself, a man who would cheat, was not a man good enough for her. But as Betty told him to go, he grabbed her arm and put his hands on her throat, telling her that he needed to remain the guy that everyone thought he was, and he would be damned if she ruin his image. Of course, he apologized for this time and time again, and eventually, Betty forgave him. Completely unaware that in a few years time, it would happen again...and then again until she couldn’t forgive him anymore. 

 

“Betts?” She heard Jughead say, pulling her from her thoughts. She wiped away the single tear and smiled, turning to him, hiding her pain. “We’re here.” He whispered, rubbing her shoulder and she smiled brightly, happy that she would finally get to eat.  

 

After they got a fair amount of food into them, Betty and Jughead were back on the road. They arrived in Riverdale sometime during the night, and because of the time, Betty was thankful she wouldn’t have to speak with anyone and could get some rest. Jughead took the couch in his apartment, while Betty was given the bed, and she slept fairly well all night. But that was ruined in the early hours of the morning when Veronica and Archie came barging in loudly. All Betty heard at first was Veronica being mad about Jughead’s publisher calling her because he was incapable of answering his phone, but then she heard a gasp and Veronica mentioning that he brought a girl home. She realized then that her shoes and coat were at the front door, Betty still had the same coat from when she left Riverdale, and right now, was hoping that Veronica wouldn’t remember a small detail like that. But when Jughead came into the bedroom with a look of fear in his eyes, she knew Veronica had figured it out. 

 

“I’m sorry.” He said, taking a seat next to her on the bed and kissing her lightly on the lips, “I want to be here for your first day, but I have signing about three hours away and need to leave in less than an hour.” 

 

Betty smiled gently, she understood that with his work, it would be a while before Jughead could be there for her in Riverdale, “Go get ready. I’ll face this mess.” But before he could get up, she was pulling him in for another kiss, “I expect my own signed edition of the wonderful new novel by J.Jones.” Jughead chuckled before getting up and heading into the bathroom. 

 

Betty sighed as she pulled herself off the bed and got prepared to face Veronica, who she assumed would be pacing back and forth in the living room while Archie sat cluelessly and quiet on the couch. Veronica was always the more vocal of the two, and Betty had a sure feeling of how this was going to play out. 

 

“What the hell, Elizabeth!” Was what Betty was greeted with as she stepped into the living room, Veronica had stopped her pacing and stood with her hands on her hips, while, as she expected, Archie sat on the couch. “Where the hell have you been for MONTHS!” She yelled. 

 

“Look, Veronica, I’ll explain everything okay.” Betty said calmly, “Can we grab a breakfast at Pop’s to talk?” She asked, as much as Betty trusted Archie, she didn’t feel comfortable disclosing information like this to him, but she was definite about telling Veronica the whole truth. 

 

Veronica went to speak, but she was cut off when Jughead came out from the bedroom and Archie spoke up, “I’m joining you today, Jug.”

 

“What? You have a class to teach.” Veronica protested. 

 

“It’s still early enough to call in sick, besides, I miss my friend.” He said, giving his wife a warning look, and although she was normally the one calling the shots, this time, she took a step down. “Let’s head out now so we can stop for food.” Jughead didn’t say anything else, he simply nodded his head and kissed Betty on the forehead, mouthing ‘ _ goodluck _ ’ before slipping on his shoes and heading out the door with Archie. 

 

“I owe both you and Pop the truth, you gave me a home and he gave me a job. So, can we go there to talk, please.” 

 

“Fine.” Veronica sighed, she headed out ahead of Betty and went to wait in the car, while Betty took a moment to breathe, and then also headed outside. 

 

Although Pop’s was the best place in town for breakfast, it wasn’t overly busy at this time and Betty was thankful for that. When she and Veronica arrived there was only two other customers and they both appeared to have been looked after, which made it easier for her to pull Pop aside and speak to him. They sat in the back booth, furthest away from any customers, and Betty sat opposite Veronica and Pop. Although she didn’t go into full detail as she had with Jughead, it was enough for Veronica’s hand to appear over her own mouth as she gasped at the revelation and tears fell from Pop’s eyes. It was a truth neither one of them had ever considered, and both felt sympathy for Betty. It was much easier for her to hold back her emotions as she had been open about it previously, it amazed Betty how much had changed in only two days. Before seeing Jughead again, she felt completely alone, and like no one was there for her. But after speaking up and being honest about her life, she felt like she had never been more loved and cared for in her entire life. Jughead was amazing. He was unlike anyone she had ever met, and thankful was an understatement for how she felt about him. Now, as she was driving back to the apartments with Veronica, Betty felt genuinely  _ happy.  _ Seeing Jughead again changed everything, but in the best way possible, and despite not being able to see him for a few more days because of his schedule, and still having a lot to deal with in the small town of Riverdale, she had hope that this time it would all turn out different. 

 

\--

  
  


Jughead and Archie drove in silence for almost an hour before Archie turned off the music and spoke up, “What’s going on with you and Betty?” 

 

Jughead tried not to change his speed as he was surprised at his friends question, “What do you mean?”

 

“What I mean is, the first time she left, it destroyed you. Yeah, you and I weren’t on great terms, but you’re practically my brother Jughead, and I saw how hard you took it. I’d never seen you like that over someone leaving, not even your mom, but when Betty disappeared, so did a piece of you.” Archie sighed, looking at Jughead as he was unsure if he should continue, “She seems like a great person, but she’s left once, what makes you so sure she won’t again?” 

 

Jughead pulled the car over to the side of the road and pushed on his brakes, “You don’t understand, Archie. Okay? Betty’s been through a ton of shit but this time is different. She’s a great person, and she’s not going anywhere.” He stated firmly, before putting the car back into drive and continuing to drive. 

 

“What was it about her?” He asked, ignoring the fact that he knew his friend didn’t want to speak to him. 

 

“I don’t know, man.” Jughead said honestly, “I just remember that night in Pop’s, she looked so damn good in her uniform.” He chuckled, “but there was something else too. The look in her eyes, she looked so broken but had the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. We ran into each other a few more times, and all I wanted was to talk to her more, figure more out about her life. I can’t explain it, but I  _ needed  _ to know her. I just had to.” 

 

“Are you in love with her?”   
  


“It’s a little early for that, isn’t it?” Jughead laughed, “I don’t know, but I’d like to be given the chance for it to happen.” 

 

“Well then, I’m happy for you.” Archie smiled, “I really thought this was going to get much more complicated and take all day, now I have hours to do nothing and missed out on getting paid.” He laughed. 

 

“Well, that ain’t my fault, and I’m still getting paid so no complaints from me.” 

 

“Maybe I’ll take your car and drive around for the day.”

 

“Or maybe you’ll actually crack open a book for once.” They both laughed before falling into a comfortable silence, and Archie turned the music up slightly to enjoy the rest of the ride. 

 

\--

 

Back in Riverdale, Betty asked Veronica for some time alone and took the time to sit and think. It was something she did a lot, something she should do much less. But in the end, it was something that had to be done. Living her life this way couldn’t happen without thinking, she had to always have a plan, and no matter how safe she felt with Jughead, Betty needed to remain on the lookout. She lay on Jughead’s bed and wrapped herself in the comforter, allowing her feelings to take over. Tears fell harshly from her eyes and it got to a point where she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Betty was happy with what had happened in the last few days, but a part of her couldn’t stop from feeling guilty. There was one thing Betty had left out about her history from Jughead, and as her mind wandered back to that secret, her hand fell to her stomach.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated!!


	8. I Won't Let Them Hurt You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead's past comes back to haunt Betty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like ten minutes after updating and promising I'd be writing and updating on a regular schedule, I got a message that screwed up my entire week. I haven't written at all, but I have the next chapter done so it will be up very soon. 
> 
> WARNING: smut at the end of this chapter

Betty had been back in Riverdale for two months now, the first few weeks were hard without Jughead, but they got used to small and short moments together, while phoning on his free time. Although Veronica had given her another apartment, she spent most nights in Jughead’s bed, breathing in his scent as a sense of security. Betty was also working at Pop’s again, this time less shifts as he didn’t want to stress her out even more, and no matter what she said, he refused to change his mind. Her friendship with Veronica was mended, and she satisfied with the way things were working out. The weekly calls with Cheryl remained the same, and although it had taken some convincing for Cheryl to be comfortable with Betty remaining in one place, she trusted that Jughead would protect her. That was, after she called Jughead and threatened to have him killed if someone dare lay their hands on Betty, or even look at her the wrong way.   

 

Betty knew, even without Cheryl’s threat, that Jughead would protect her at all costs. His daily phone calls, trips back to the small town, messaging Veronica and Archie, it proved that. He checked in on her constantly, and he was counting down the seconds until they could be together in the same town for good. 

 

That’s why, as Betty worked a late night shift at Pop’s, and she was the only one in the diner, she didn’t know what to do when a group of men entered. They were all sporting the same black leather jackets and angry expressions, but it was the man with a tattoo of an ‘S’ shaped snake on his neck, and black hair that resembled Jughead’s almost too much, that caused Betty to take a step back. His men stood behind him, not speaking, as he sat down at the counter. 

 

“Hey sweetheart.” The man spoke, setting his arms on the counter. 

 

“What can I get you?” Betty asked, ignoring the nickname this man gave her, and holding back the quiver in her voice. 

 

“You have something of ours, and we need it.” Was all he said, Betty had never seen these men before, and she had no idea what they were talking about. “Your pretty boy, Jones.” In an instant, Betty’s jaw dropped, her eyes wide and heart racing.  _ What did Jughead have to do with this?  _ “We need him.” 

 

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint, but I don’t have a Jones here.”

 

The man chuckled, “No, but you have him on speed dial, I’m sure.” He stood up, and smiled once more, “Tell him Sweet Pea was here, and if he doesn’t get back soon, he’ll regret it.” With that, the group of men were walking out the diner, and all Betty could think about as they left were the green embroidered snakes that stared her in the face.  

 

Betty waited until she heard all the motorcycles go to pull out her phone, her hands shaking as she went into her contacts and found Jughead’s name. He had a big interview on live television in the morning, it was the only reason he hadn’t come back to Riverdale tonight. She didn’t want to wake him, but she was  _ scared.  _

 

“Betts? Is everything okay?” Jughead asked, his voice was low and tired. 

 

“Juggie.” Betty breathed, “someone named Sweet Pea came here looking for you.” Nothing else was said before Jughead was up and out of his bed. He grabbed his jacket off the chair and pulled on his shoes. 

 

“Betty, I need you to phone Veronica and tell her to come to the diner with you. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Before Betty had a chance to protest, he hung up the phone. 

 

Betty sighed, she didn’t want to ruin his night, nor his interview in the morning, but Jughead didn’t leave her with much of a choice. When Betty phoned Veronica, she said she was already on her way because Jughead sent her a message. It was then that Betty realized, whoever those people were, they were dangerous. Her heart raced at the thought, why would someone dangerous want Jughead? They had grown close over the months, but there was still a lot Betty didn’t know about Jughead and his past. He always seemed closed off, or more concerned about taking care of her, which was irritating, yes, but Betty never thought there could have been something serious Jughead was keeping from her. 

 

Veronica arrived at the diner only moments later, her face angry and heart racing, “Did he touch you?” She asked, going around the counter to look at Betty. 

 

“No, V. I’m fine.” Betty sighed, “It just threw me off guard is all.”

 

“I’m glad you phoned Jughead.” Veronica went quiet, thinking about what Jughead had told her in the message. When her eyes fell upon the name Sweet Pea, her heart stopped. It was a name she only heard on occasion, when she and Archie fought, he would throw it in there. However, it was a name her mind went to more times than she cared to admit. Veronica was in love with Archie, there was no way around that truth, but there was a time when her heart belonged to a man who was much like Jughead. They didn’t talk about him, not anymore, there was just no point. “Those people, you don’t want to get mixed up with them.” Was all she said, her mind stuck on the thought of Sweet Pea venturing into the Northside. She hadn’t seen him in years, only when she would sneak out and take a trip down to the Southside, watching from the side lines as he was straddled by woman after woman on his motorcycle outside of the White Wyrm. 

 

“Who are they?” Betty asked. 

 

“That’s something Jughead needs to tell you.” Betty sighed once again, she didn’t want to wait for Jughead. He probably wouldn’t be here for another two hours and by then, her shift will be over, and her mind would’ve come up with a million possibilities of who they were and what they wanted from her boyfriend. “Look, we’ll finish your shift. Get you back to the apartments, and if you want, hang out and have a few drinks.”  

 

Over an hour later, Jughead pulled into Pop’s parking lot and ran into the diner. He cupped Betty’s cheeks and pulled her in for a deep kiss. “Are you okay?” He asked as they pulled away from each other. 

 

Betty melted into his touch and smiled, “Yeah.” She whispered, pulling away at the sound of Veronica clearing her throat. “Sorry, V.” Betty laughed. 

 

“If you two are good, I’m going to get home. Archie was pretty pissed that I didn’t tell him where I was going.” Veronica looked at Jughead, “Figure this shit out.” Jughead nodded his head, and that was enough for Veronica to be reassured and she headed out of Pop’s. 

 

They were sitting in the car when Betty turned down the music and looked at Jughead, “Who were those guys? Ronnie wouldn’t tell me, told me I should wait for you to tell me.”

 

Jughead sighed, gripping tighter onto the steering wheel, “Before I left Riverdale, there was this gang that my dad ran for.” Jughead chuckled, “Well, more like he’s the  _ one  _ who ran it. I got myself into some trouble with them, and I guess word finally got fully around that I was back. They must want something.” Jughead pulled the car over and looked at Betty, “I’m not leaving town again until we have this sorted.” He promised her. 

 

“Jughead, no.” Betty protested, “This is your job.” She sighed, “I’m not ruining that for you.” 

 

Ignoring her, Jughead turned the engine on and began driving, “Cancel your shift tomorrow, I want to keep you inside as much as possible.” 

 

He saw the way Betty’s face turned angry, she didn’t want to be cooped up in some apartment all day, but she didn’t bother to argue either. As they were driving, both Betty and Jughead were caught off guard by someone rear-ending them. Jughead looked through his mirror to see, and whispered ‘fuck’, as he knew the truck right away. “Goddamn Seprents.” He hissed, pressing on the gas; but so did they. “Betts, how much do you trust me?” He asked her, not taking his eyes off the road. 

 

“With my life, Jug.” She sighed, trying to hold her fear, “You know that.” With those words, Jughead pressed on the gas and turned the car, ending up going downhill into a set of woods, but not pressing on the brakes until they were clear from road sight. “Holy shit, Jughead.” Betty yelled at her boyfriend, but it wasn’t enough to stop him as he pressed on the gas once more, only this time, going in reverse. Jughead managed to drive through the wooded area without leaving so much as a scratch on his car. “What do they want from you?” Betty asked, practically crying at this point. 

 

“To hurt what I care about most.” He answered nonchalantly, as if it were obvious. “The Serpents are unpredictable. They’re capable of doing the unthinkable and I know they’re going to try and hurt you, but I won’t let that happened.” 

 

“Why didn’t you tell me,” Betty was holding back tears, “I told you everything about my life and put it all out of the table. If you knew they would want to get back at you for whatever you did, then why did you not tell me?” 

 

“I don’t know,” he snapped, harsher than he meant to. “I am sorry for not telling you sooner- Jughead paused and looked in the rear view mirror, “Hold on.” He demanded, pressing on the gas harder and not stomping on the brakes until they were well out of sight from anyone. He took off his seat belt and turned to face Betty, “You’ve read my books, and as much as I’d like to say they’re complete fiction, it wouldn’t be true.” Jughead sighed and held tightly onto her hand, “I’ve gotten out of this situation once before, and I can damn well do it again. Just trust me.” 

 

“I want to trust you,” there were tears in her eyes, “but how can I when you kept this from me? She snapped, “when is the lying and secret keeping ever going to stop?”

 

“What did you expect me to do?” Jughead rubbed his hand over his face, “Everything was so focused on you and your life, I didn’t want to throw my past in the middle of all of it.” 

 

“Did you do this on purpose?” Jughead looked at Betty confused but she smiled at him gently, “Look where we are,” she looked out the window and pointed to the building behind them. They were at the Twilight Drive-In. “You know, when we were here together last time, I felt completely alone, and I could never imagine someone else feeling that,” Betty rested her head on Jughead’s shoulder, “I don’t want you to feel alone, Juggie. Ever.” She kissed his neck and it sent shivers down his spine.

 

Without thinking, Betty pulled herself to straddle Jughead’s lap and he accepted her with open arms. He gripped onto her hips as she rested on top of him and continued pressing kisses over his jaw and neck before nibbling on his ear. Jughead groaned at the contact, they had never talked about sex, or come close to having it, but this felt like they might. Betty grinded her hips along his dick and moaned at the sensation. Betty had only ever had sex with one man, but it never felt right. This, in all senses of the word, felt completely right. “Betty-” Jughead breathed, “we don’t have to.” 

 

“I want to.” She smiled into his neck before biting and sucking on the soft skin. Within seconds, Betty reached her hands down and grabbed Jughead’s belt, pulling it off and undoing the buttons. She lifted up her uniform and after pulling his pants off, was stopped by Jughead grabbing her arm. 

 

“I don’t have-” 

 

“I don’t care,” she leaned in and kissed him, “I just want you.” With those words, Jughead lost all control and helped Betty pull his boxers down. She took his cock in her hands before setting herself up and slowly putting him inside of her. Betty moaned as he went inside of her and gasped when he was fully in. Jughead groaned at the feeling, and couldn’t stop himself from thrusting hard inside of the beautiful woman who wanted him completely. “Jug.” Betty moaned his name, and he swore it was the best thing he’d ever heard. 

 

“Betty, I’m gonna-” Betty held onto Jughead’s shoulders and allowed him to thrust into her harder and harder. “Fuck.” He groaned. 

 

She could tell he was holding back and didn’t want him to, “Come inside of me,” she pleaded, looking at him innocently, “please.” There was no way he could say no to her, and within seconds, came undone. “That was-” 

 

“Amazing.” Jughead smiled at her with his cocky grin, “yes baby, it was.” He kissed Betty gently before pulling away, “I have to go to the bathroom, stay put, keep the doors locked and I’ll be right back.” With another kiss, Jughead got out of the car and headed behind the old beaten down building. 

 

Jughead was just finishing up when he heard the roaring of an engine and pulled his pants up quickly. By the time he had gotten around the building, Betty was being pulled into a car by one of the older Serpents. Jughead tried running after them but the car was already on it’s way, so he got into the driver’s seat of his own car and followed behind them. No matter how fast he went, they seemed to go even faster. They finally came to a stop outside of the White Wyrm, Jughead was running after Betty but got stopped by someone pulling him back. 

 

There were tears in his eyes as he saw her being pulled away, “Betty!” Jughead screamed, fighting to get out of the other man’s grasp. “I love you.” He yelled after her, but had no time to process what was said as a slow clap began from one person. Jughead looked over to see an older man, one of colour, smiling. 

 

“So you’re the one who’s captured the heart of my beautiful wife.” In that moment, nothing but pure rage filled Jughead, but he had no idea what to do.

  
  
  



	9. Survivor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING   
> This chapter gets pretty dark, there is violence and some verbal things as well so beware before reading

Jughead didn’t know what to do in that moment, and so, he turned to his roots. Throwing a punch to the man’s jaw. He threw the older man onto the ground and didn’t stop punching him until someone pulled him off. “You’re a sick son of a bitch.” Jughead growled, elbowing the guy who grabbed him in the face. “I will get her back, I swear to God.” Without another word, Jughead ran to his car and got inside, turning the engine on and driving to find Betty. 

 

Jughead drove until he ended up at the White Wyrm- no doubt that it was where they took Betty. He pressed on the brakes as he got into the lot and ran into the building quicker than ever before. Determined to get Betty back, he never expected the sight in front of him when he entered the bar. FP Jones, leader of the Serpents and Jughead’s father stood in front of Betty who was tied up to a chair. Without hesitation, Jughead launched forward and attacked his father. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jughead snapped, connecting his fist with FP’s jaw only to be stopped by one in return. 

 

FP held onto Jughead’s shoulders and stopped him, “Stop right now, boy.” He snapped, “I was just telling them to let the girl go.” 

 

“Bullshit!” Jughead yelled, “she’s sitting there tied up in a chair.” 

 

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life, but I don’t hit women.” FP yelled, “especially not her.” He looked away when he said those words, not wanting his son to see the look in his eyes as he thought about who Betty reminded him of- who he knew Betty reminded him of. She truly was a spitting image of her mother, and at first when Chuck told FP that he needed the Serpents hell to get back at a Betty Cooper- never in his wildest dreams would he have expected it to be  _ her  _ daughter. 

 

“What the fuck does that even mean?” He pushed his father back, “you run this gang, if they got her it means YOU approved of it.” Jughead looked past his father to see Betty sitting in the chair with tears in her eyes, she looked more scared than he had ever seen her and it broke his heart knowing there was nothing he could do. “You’re a shit father and a shit human being now let her the fuck go!” Jughead snapped, punching his father square in the jaw and standing shocked as a group of Serpents tried to come after him but were stopped by FP making them back off. 

 

“I know her mother.” FP yelled, unable to take his son’s anger any longer. “Now get out of this bar while I clean this shit up.” Jughead looked at his father in shock but refused to move even the slightest until he had Betty by his side. “Let her go.” FP snapped at the two men standing beside Betty tied up on the chair. 

 

When Betty was untied, she ran over to Jughead and collapsed like putty in his arms. Jughead pulled all his strength together to pick Betty up and turned around to walk out of the bar, but was stopped with the sight of Chuck in front of him. Betty flinched in Jughead’s arms and a new rage filled his blood. Chuck was trying to piss him off, with a cocky smile on his face but Jughead wouldn’t fall victim to his actions in front of Betty. “She’s in pain and broken and if you think for one second I’m going to tare my attention away from her to fight you, you’ve got another thing coming. Back the fuck off.” Jughead snapped, shoving past Chuck and a number of other Serpents as he left the White Wyrm with Betty in his arms. For the first time in what felt like his entire life, Jughead was putting all the faith he had to give in his father and hoping that Betty could finally be free. 

 

\--

 

After escaping the pain that was Chuck Clayton and their abusive relationship, Betty was able to see FP in a new light. She saw the way he treated Jughead and how despite their problems, he cared very much about his son. But what surprised her more than anything was finding out he cared about her too. Finding out the man she loved was the son of a man who once loved her mother had come as a surprise, but in some sick twisted way it felt like fate. Almost as if Betty and Jughead were made to right their parents wrongs. Though no one besides who was in the Wyrm that night knew exactly what happened, everything had been better in the last few days. Once FP managed to get his men to have Chuck back off and protect Betty, they were finally able to settle down. But she knew there was one thing she had to do, and that was make things right with her mom. In the last week, Betty had talked to both Veronica and Jughead about this, completely unsure if she should reach out to her mom when it had taken herself this long to comprehend what had happened with and her Chuck to begin with. 

 

“V, so much has happened since I saw my mom last. I don’t know if I can tell her.” Betty said, sighing as they drank coffee at an ungodly hour in the morning. 

 

“I know our situations are different, but for a long time I had nothing to do with my mom and I can honestly tell you that if I hadn’t worked on fixing things with her, I wouldn’t be the woman I am now.” Veronica placed her hand on Betty’s arm, “and I’m pretty great.” Both women laughed for a moment before Veronica went back to being serious, “I just think it’d be the right thing to do, but it’s up to you.” 

Betty and Veronica stayed on the balcony drinking their coffee alone until they heard the door slide open and Jughead joined them. Ever since the incident with Chuck and the Serpents, he had barely left Betty’s side. The remaining of his book tour was put on hold and he was back in Riverdale until Chuck would be put away. Betty felt guilty- Veronica feeling the need to support her constantly, Archie having to come home to this after 7 hours surrounded by teenagers, and Jughead putting his career to a stand still for her. He knew Betty enough to notice that she was afraid of going to police, and he would never rush her but that didn’t make any of this easier. He hated seeing the fearful look in her emerald eyes and when they would lay naked in bed together- the bruises that trailed her porcelain skin. Betty didn’t mind it really, she loved knowing he valued her enough to spend every second of his day worrying about her. But at the same time, she knew how much he loved writing and she never wanted to take that career away from him. 

 

“Sorry ladies.” Jughead smiled, stepping back into the apartment and closing the door. Though he worried about her- Jughead also knew how to give space. On mornings like this he would stay in Veronica and Archie’s apartment, sitting not far from the door but still away from them so they could talk. In the end, Jughead had to accept that there things Betty only felt comfortable telling Veronica. 

 

After Betty was able to finish talking to Veronica, she bid her friend a goodbye and headed back into the apartment, quietly walking through as not to wake Archie and then going over to the couch where Jughead was sitting and whispered, “let’s go home.” Jughead would never get sick of Betty referring to his apartment as ‘home’. Of course, one day he wanted to be able to afford a house for them and maybe even start a family to create a real home, but for now he would take what he could get. Grabbing Betty’s hand, Jughead stood from the couch and walked back over to their apartment together. When they got inside, Jughead pulled Betty into the bedroom and laid on the bed, wrapping her in his arms as he kissed her hair. “Juggie,” Betty whispered, trying not to cry as she gained the courage to finish her sentence, “I need to talk to my mom.” 

 

Jughead pulled away and looked at Betty in surprise, but wasn’t going to argue her, “We’ll work something out later, baby. For now, let’s sleep.” Though Jughead was sure neither he nor Betty would be able to have any rest after this decision, he would try his best and spooned Betty as she laid her head on his chest. 

 

Betty had been able to fall asleep, but Jughead wasn’t so lucky. He laid awake worrying about her as he knew this was not something to be taken lightly. He also knew the only way they could get to her mom was through someone with connections- his father. Jughead was having a hard time trusting his father, but in the end this was something Betty needed and he had to push through once again, for her and only her he would do anything. When they finally decided to get out of bed at about 10 past noon, Jughead phoned his father to meet them at Pop’s where Betty had a 1 o’clock shift. They would talk over black coffee and delicious burgers, Jughead would be able to keep an eye on Betty as she pushed herself to work when she really shouldn’t, and they would do their very best to get ahold of her mother and try to fix what has long been broken.

 

\--

 

The next day came quicker than Betty wanted it to, knowing that this would be the day she saw her mother for the first time in over a year. FP had gotten a hold of one of his connections in the city the day before and Alice promised she would be in Riverdale by today. Betty had barely slept all night, tossing and turning as she thought about her mom and what might come of this conversation. Her entire life all she wanted was her mom to be proud of her, and now here she was, damaged goods working a part time job in a small town diner. 

 

Jughead held onto Betty’s hand as they walked in Pop’s where Alice said she would meet her daughter, when they entered it didn’t even take a second for her to see her mother. Seated at one of the booths with a sad look on her face- guilt filled Betty’s body. Alice stood from her seat and embraced Betty quickly, “mom.” Betty sobbed, her head resting her mother’s shoulder as she took in this moment. Jughead stook back and watched the reunion, hoping for Betty that this would go as good as it possibly could. 

 

Alice pulled away and took a look at Jughead, “you look exactly like your father did at that age.” she laughed, reaching her hand out to shake his. “I want to thank you for looking after my daughter this past year.” 

 

Jughead smiled at her and nodded his head, “it really was my pleasure. I’m going to get some food, you two sit and talk.” Alice and Betty looked at Jughead with thankful expressions on their faces as they walked back over to her booth and sat down. Jughead took a seat at the counter and didn’t bother to order anything just yet, instead he watched them as they spoke. 

 

“I talked to Cheryl.” Alice said as they sat down, “she told me everything, Betty.” For the first time in her entire life, Betty could’ve sworn she saw tears fall down her mother’s cheeks. “I know your father and I were hard on you, but if you had just told me-” Alice had to stop herself as she pictured her daughter breaking down in front of her. “If I had known.” 

 

“I know mom, I know.” Betty sighed, “but I also mom things are better this way. Meeting Jughead has changed my life.” Alice smiled as her daughter went on to talk about the way she loved Jughead. It had become clear to her that this man would do anything and everything for Betty. 

 

The two women sat in Pop’s and talked for hours, Jughead bringing them food a little while after they sat down but leaving once again to let them talk in private. By the end of it, Betty had seemed in better spirits than he ever remembered seeing her and was glad they had this time to see each other today. Alice told Jughead that she was grateful for him and even pulled him alone for a moment to tell him how much she hopes the two of them work out. Alice bid goodbye to Betty and Jughead before heading off to her motel and Betty and Jughead held hands as they left Pop’s, both feeling much for hopeful now than before. 

 

The two had just gotten into Jughead’s car when Betty looked over at him and said, “I want to go to the police.” 

  
  



	10. Justice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty does what she needs to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think any trigger warnings need to be added, but definitely keep an open mind with this chapter being extremely emotional.

If someone were to ask Betty how the last few days had been, she would’ve looked at them and just laughed. Not because the days were funny, or because the question was in anyway amusing, but because the last few days had brought her stress level to an all new high and she couldn’t handle speaking about it. Betty had assumed this would play out like the nights following her abduction had- only being able to open up to Veronica and keeping her feelings from Jughead, but instead it was the exact opposite. Betty had kept herself locked in their apartment after they left Pop’s and refused to leave again unless it was for a shift or to see her mom (but even then she had her mom come there to see her). When Betty told Jughead she wanted to go to the police, she couldn’t have been more grateful for how he reacted. Placing his hand on her cheek and leaning in for a soft kiss, he told her they would do whatever she felt was right and that he would be there every step of the way. Of course, Betty had known this already, but hearing it never got old and she’d be okay with spending the rest of her life knowing he was there for her. 

 

It had been fives days since they sat in the car outside of Pop’s and she told him that, and yet, they still hadn’t gone to the station. Jughead never pushed her, nor did he ask questions- instead just sitting by to watch as she made the decisions that she felt were right for herself. They were sitting in their apartment on a cold Tuesday morning when Betty looked at Jughead and he noticed the tears falling down her pale cheeks. “Let’s go.” It was all she said as she stood from their couch and walked to the front door and put on her shoes. Jughead stayed seated as he looked at her with his mouth agape, “I need to do this, Juggie and I need to do it now.” There was a new sense of confidence in Betty’s attitude and Jughead wasn’t about to argue her, so he stood up and got his shoes on as well, holding her hand as they left the apartment. 

 

When the couple pulled up in front of the 41st precinct in the Bronx, Jughead was surprised to see a familiar redhead leaning against a car. He looked at Betty as their car came to a stop and she smiled gently, “I love you and Veronica so much, but Cheryl was there through it all, she’s the reason we ever met and she’s the reason I got free.” Betty placed a hand on Jughead’s cheek and leaned in to kiss him, “I called her yesterday to tell her today was the day and she promised she’d be here for me.” Jughead nodded his head in acknowledgement and let Betty get out first so she could go see Cheryl. 

 

When Betty looked at Jughead a few minutes later and smiled, he knew that was his cue to go in with her and she stood beside Cheryl until he was out of the car and then the three of them walked in together. 

 

The ride to the Bronx had been about 45 minutes, and in that time barely any words were shared. Betty had asked the music be put at a semi-loud volume so she could get lost in the sound instead of her thoughts. Jughead saw the way her hands would go to curl into fists and he’d remove one hand from the wheel to stop her. Rubbing his thumb over her hand as a sign of comfort while tears fell from her eyes. It wasn’t until they had pulled up and she saw Cheryl that Betty stopped. He didn’t know her well, but Jughead could never thank Cheryl enough for all she had done for Betty.

 

They stepped inside the precinct and Jughead’s eyes didn’t leave Betty’s, watching as her expression changed when the overwhelming amount of people hit her. Taking it upon himself, Jughead walked over to one of the men in a uniform and asked, “where do we go to report domestic violence?” 

 

The man put his pad of paper away and looked at Jughead, his eyes darting behind him to where Betty was holding Cheryl’s hand. “I’ll take you there,” he offered, walking over to the elevator to be followed by the three people and the doors closed. 

 

When they got to the floor that the domestic violence unit was on, Betty followed behind the uniform officer and waited outside a door with Cheryl and Jughead while he get in to talk to someone. A few minutes later the man came out from the doors and said, “here is some paperwork for you to fill out. A special unit detective will be out in a few minutes to bring you for questions.” Betty nodded in understanding and took the clipboard and sat down on one of the chairs. 

 

About ten minutes passed as Betty checked off the boxes with questions like her gender and marital status to the partner she was here to report, while also filling in some short answers about the situation and how it had expanded as time went on- as most abuse grew worse over time. She was almost done the questions when a detective came out of the doors and approached her. “I’m detective Stephens with the survivors of domestic abuse unit,” he reached out his hand to shake hers- which ever the polite woman- Betty shook. “You’re allowed one person in with you if you’d like, we always offer the opportunity to have some support.” Betty looked behind her at Cheryl and Jughead, but she felt a sense of guilt inside her when she thought about choosing one or the other. It was something she couldn’t do. 

 

“I think this is something I should do on my own,” Betty said, offering Jughead a sad smile who looked at her with nothing but pride- and of course Cheryl who was more understanding than anyone in her life. Betty followed the detective through the doors and into a conference looking room- and was genuinely surprised at the little amount of fear but great amount of hope she felt inside of herself. 

 

Jughead sat in the waiting room of the police department, both him and Cheryl nervously awaiting the return of Betty. When she did walk out, it was clear that tears had fallen as her eyes were puffy and lips plump, but she also looked...satisfied. As though she was filled with hope for the future and her emerald eyes sparkled with something he hadn’t seen in them before- genuine hopefulness. 

 

Jughead and Cheryl stood in sync, walking over to Betty and the detective with unsure expressions on their face. “We have some of our best men canvasing the Riverdale area and we will be in constant contact with the Sheriff’s department,” the detective sighed, “we can give him a sentence for his actions of domestic violence when he lived here, but in cases like these when you have someone who has committed numerous crimes in different cities, the court process becomes much more difficult.” 

 

“I don’t care how difficult it is, this son of a bitch needs to be put away,” Jughead snapped, but when Betty’s hand touched his arm, he was able to calm down. “How will it be more difficult?” 

 

“Well luckily Riverdale is still part of the New York state, so that decreases a lot of problems, but the things there are from a different city which is not our jurisdiction,” he looked at Betty and back over to Cheryl and Jughead, “We will do the best we can, for tonight, go home and rest and I will contact Ms. Cooper as soon as possible.” 

 

Betty shook hands with the detective one last time before clutching onto Jughead’s and walking out of the precinct with him and Cheryl. As they drove down the city streets and back into Riverdale, she knew not everything had been fixed but she was hopeful that they were starting to look up. 

 


	11. Our Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead assumes that Betty’s strange behavior is because of her feelings about speaking with the detective, but when she tells him that she’s pregnant, he has no idea how to react.

It had been a week since they were at the station and Jughead would be lying if he said that Betty’s behaviour hadn’t changed. Of course, this was to be expected as she *finally* went to the authorities about years of pain and secrets that were kept inside, but he thought they were at a place now where she could talk to him and yet...nothing. 

 

He would wake up in the middle of the night to her sitting on the balcony or in the kitchen, she’d come to bed late and she wasn’t eating the way she normally did. He worried about her, of course he worried about her, but he promised to let her come to him when she felt she needed to and he’d never push her to open up. 

 

It wasn’t until late one Thursday night when he heard her in the bathroom- the sound of vomiting and groans of pain echoing throughout their home that he knew she couldn’t go through this alone anymore. He pushed himself out of bed and ran to her, breaking down the locked door and holding her hair back as she threw up the little she had eaten earlier at lunch. “Baby,” Jughead said, running his thumb over her cheek and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Talk to me.” 

 

Betty closed the toilet seat and flushed down the remains of her her meal and looked at Jughead, tears stinging her eyes and fear poisoning her heart. “Juggie,” she breathed, holding her eyes shut as she was unable to look him in the eyes. “I’m pregnant.” 

 

Jughead’s hand fell from her cheek within seconds and he took a step back, “You-you’re what?” He was still registering her words when she broke down in tears again and fell into his arms as she was unable to hold herself up. He had so many questions, so many things to say, but for now he had to take her to their bed and allow her to relax- realizing that this must be what’s been keeping her so distracted lately- at the very least she deserved to have some peace in her bed now that the truth was out. 

 

They got into their room and he changed her into different clothes, her favourite t-shirt (that was actually his) and a pair of loose shorts, tucking her under the covers, he held her in his arms as she fell asleep on his chest. Despite the heartwarming sight of the beautiful woman in bed with him, Jughead was unable to feel happiness as he replayed her words through his mind.  _ I’m pregnant,  _ the words made him feel something he never had and the scary part was, he didn’t think it was a good thing. Having children was something that never crossed his mind, even since meeting Betty, and now that it was happening with everything else going on while they were still trying to figure themselves and their love for each other out- he couldn’t understand why the two of them were unable to catch a break. Eventually, he was able to close his eyes and drift off to sleep, trying his best not to think about the reality of being a father. 

 

Jughead woke before Betty the next morning and got out of bed to make a pot of coffee and get Betty her orange juice- something he knew she drank when sick and with is little knowledge of pregnancy, he assumed morning sickness fell under that category. After pouring them both drinks, he got her soda crackers from the cupboard and walked into their bedroom. She was still peacefully sleeping on the bed and he didn’t want to wake her, but unfortunately knew they needed to talk about what she told him last night. “Babe,” he whispered, nudging her gently as he didn’t want to hurt her. “I got you orange juice and some crackers.” 

 

“Mhm,” Betty smiled at Jughead, wiping sleep from her eyes as she adjusted to the light in their room, “thank you.” She sat up against the pillows and took her orange juice from Jughead, when he offered her crackers she kindly declined, “you have to eat them 15 minutes before getting up, and I don’t feel like getting up anytime soon,” she said, earning a chuckle from Jughead. 

 

“Okay, baby,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Are you up for talking about it?”

 

“I don’t know, Juggie,” she sighed, resting her head against his chest, “I think it’s a crappy time for this to happen, and when I first found out, God I didn’t know what to think or how to tell you.” She looked up at him and tried not to cry, “I love you and I know the only person I ever want to have a family with is you.” 

 

He took in her words and wondered if maybe she had the same thoughts he did, a part of him felt guilty for questioning if having a child was a good thing, but it was a valid thought. They were two people who came from different walks of life, Betty had just finally been able to go forward about her struggles, and while Jughead didn’t have anything near as hard as her, he still didn’t think they’d be able to handle parent hood at this point in their lives. But then he heard her say she would want a family with him, only him, and suddenly, he realized he’d been so stuck in panic mode that he didn’t even consider that. In all his years, his heart had only belonged to one person, and that was Betty. He knew she was his everything, the end all be all of his life, and that their would be no one to come after her he would ever love. He knew that there would be no one to come after her at all, because he promised himself when he got her back that he’d never let her go again. Maybe things weren’t great right now, he had his publisher and manager going nuts for him to get back to his career, Betty was still waiting for an update on what would happen to Chuck, and his life with his father was a little bit on the messier side, but Jughead knew he loved Betty, and maybe that’s all they needed right now. “I love you too, Betts,” he leaned in to kiss her but was stopped by the sound of her phone buzzing. When he picked it up off the bedside table, the name appearing on the screen told him today might be a better day than he originally thought. 

 

Jughead handed Betty the phone and she answered, “Hi detective,” giving her the privacy she deserved, Jughead got off the bed and pulled out some clothes for the day, he waited until she was done on the phone before walking back over to her. Betty sighed and looked at him, “I guess I can eat those crackers now.” 

 

Betty and Jughead arrived at the police station in the Bronx about an hour and a half later, hand in hand they entered and were greeted by the detective that they had previously met and spoken with. Because she had officially given her statement previously, today was going to be more about paperwork and identifying that the person they had pulled into custody was the right Chuck Clayton. 

 

Betty stood in front of the glass, her hand squeezing tightly to Jughead’s and she breathed a sigh of relief when the man behind the glass was him, the same man who had haunted her dreams and thoughts for years on end. Finally, Betty could say she felt safe. With trembling lips and a sparkle of hope in her eyes, Betty spoke, “Yeah, that’s him.” 

 

The officer behind the glass nodded, cuffing Chuck’s hands and bringing him out the door. When he caught sight of Betty, he began screaming, “You stupid fucking bitch. You think it’s over? You think you’re going to get away with this?”

 

Jughead stood in front of her, his eyes meeting with Chuck’s, about to walk up and say something when an officer stepped in and pulled him away. Betty watched as Chuck was taken out the room, and hopefully out of her life forever. 

 

\--

 

Pregnancy and Betty didn’t mix well together, it made her grumpy, tired, and irritable. She hated everything. From the way her hair looked when she woke up in the morning, to the taste of every bit of food she ate, and the constant calls from Jughead’s publisher about another book. Betty just wanted to lay in bed all day long, her body wrapped around Jughead’s while they argued over baby names, but she couldn’t even do that. Instead, her stomach had gotten so big by her third month of pregnancy that she couldn’t even lay anyway but on her back, Jughead was scared of hurting the baby by holding her too tightly, and picking up garbage from dumbass teenagers at Pop’s was impossible. 

 

She was six months pregnant now, and it was the worst. Going to the hospital bi-weekly as she suffered physical effects from her relationship with Chuck, and constantly relying on Jughead to help her as she got tired so easily. The sickness failed to go away, and this pregnancy truly felt like months leading up to her death. 

 

But if there was one thing Betty could say came out of her pregnancy, it was the way Jughead kissed her stomach and whispered to their unborn how much he loved them. She had been gifted with a much more delicate side to the man she fell in love with, and she’d go through every appointment, every midnight spent on the bathroom floor over the toilet bowl, and sleepless night just to see his blue eyes light up the way they do every time he sees her. 

 

\--

 

Today was the day, as Betty sat in the hospital bed clutching onto Jughead’s hand like there was no tomorrow, she knew today was the day. She would give birth to their child, the wondering if it would be a boy or girl resting inside of Betty’s head as the doctor reminded her to  _ push and keep pushing.  _

 

Betty cried out one last time before the baby came out and Jughead smiled, grabbing her from the doctor before they could even wipe her off and carried her to Betty. “Baby, we have a girl,” the tears in his eyes melted Betty’s heart and she knew the second she saw the man she loved holding their daughter that this was it- this is what she needed all along. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter left, thank you all for joining me on this ride <3


	12. Epilouge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead ten years after having their first child.

Jughead was a retired writer, something he never thought he would say at the young age of 37. But over the years, his meaning in life changed. A boy who once put all his effort and feelings into writing was now a man with three children and a beautiful wife. Pop Tate passed away four years ago, and Betty was gifted ownership of his small town Choclit’ Shop, devoting his time to helping his wife and raising his children, Jughead wrote in his spare time- for fun. No longer for a publicist or the New York Times review, but for his wife to read as she needed a stress relief and for him to have something for his children to one day remember him by. Every word type on every document was now for his family, as was his entire heart. 

 

Their first daughter, Sierra Rose Jones was just barely one year old when Betty and Jughead tied the knot, a small ceremony in town hall and reception at Pop’s. Three years after that as Betty came home early one day, she took a pregnancy test and the couple was gifted with their first boy. Unlike his sister, he had bright blue eyes and blonde locks, he was named Kye Jones and Betty didn’t think she had loved another boy as much as she did him in her entire life. Only a year ago, Betty and Jughead welcomed their third child, Wilder Tate Jones, into the world. It had been Jughead who suggested the middle name, as Pop was practically a father to both of them throughout the years, and when he said his name out loud for the first time, Betty teared up, kissing her son on the head before turning to her husband and connecting their lips. 

 

It turns out, Sierra makes an amazing big sister. She doesn’t make fun of Wilder or Kye, and she loves helping her mom put Wilder to bed while daddy deals with Kye and his problems. Finding out their son had ADHD was not easy for the couple, as they both came with their own tragic backgrounds and already struggled raising children in general, but Jughead was good with Kye in a way Betty would never understand, the two connecting on a level she never she existed, and he was just shy of his sixth birthday. While Sierra and Wilder were mommy sucks, Sierra bugged to see mom whenever she worked night shifts and always said she hopes to grow up just like her. Wilder however, refuses to let his mother go to work unless he’s attention deep in a TV show and she sneaks out quietly with a goodbye kiss to Jughead. He whines if she doesn’t rock him to sleep, and he is constantly turning away from Jughead just to be held by his mommy. 

 

Sometimes having two kids glued to her side was exhausting, but Betty would never trade it in for the world. This, beautiful children, a selfless husband, and a house that she can call home, is all she’s ever wanted. 

 

As Betty woke one Sunday morning with the sun blazing in through the window sill, she looked at her sleeping husband and smiled contently. She never imagined her life would turn out the way it did, but she was certain there was nothing better than this. Slowly removing herself from the bed, Betty picked up her phone and walked downstairs. 

 

Once on the porch, she dialled a number and waited for the person on the other end to answer. “This is Mrs. Jones, sir,” she smiled, staring at the morning sky, “thank you for taking time to speak with me.” 

 

An hour later, all three children were up and dressed, Wilder in Betty’s arm while Sierra and Kye stood by her side with matching smiles on their faces, when Jughead woke up and arrived downstairs, he looked at the scene in front of him, confused. “What’s this?” 

 

Sierra stepped forward with her mom’s phone and an email across the screen, “Daddy, they want to turn your book about mommy into a movie,” she smiled up at her father, giggling when tears appeared in his eyes. 

 

Sierra was old enough to know parts of her parents story, and with a framed picture of his book in the house, she learned early on that “Disappearance” was the book that told the beginning of her parents’ story. Betty set Wilder down on the ground to play with his siblings and walked over to Juggie, “I know it’s been nearly ten years since the release, but I’ve been talking with a producer who lives in Vancouver, they want this, Juggie. They really want this.” His smile only grew as Betty spoke, and she leaned in to give him a kiss. 

 

“What about you?” he asked frantically, “what about the kids?” 

 

Betty rested her hand on his arm to calm him down the way she knew it would, “I phoned a realtor this morning, there’s this beautiful house in Vancouver, three bedrooms, two baths, and it’s available to be rented for up to two years. Of course, we wouldn’t be there that long for the movie, but maybe we could stay for the scenery, give the kids a different surrounding for a little while,” her smile remained as she looked into his blue eyes, “Sierra said she’d do school anywhere as long as we were happy, Kye would do anything for you, and Wilder can go to daycare anywhere.” 

 

He looked behind her at their kids and tried to hold back tears, “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” He asked, leaning into her for another kiss. 

 

She giggled as their lips connected, “I love you too.” 

 

The couple felt the arms of their little ones wrap around them, and laughed as they turned to see Wilder sitting on his bum with his own grin. 

 

It had never been more clear than in this moment as the family was all together, that in all the years they’d been in each others lives, Betty and Jughead saved each other. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is it, the final chapter!
> 
> A huge thank you to every person who took the time to read, leave kudos, and comments. I appreciate you all more than you will ever know, and this journey was an amazing one to go on. I love you all.
> 
>  
> 
> Keep an eye out on Friday August 11th for my next fic!

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always greatly appreciated!!


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